


Gold and Black

by MedieavalBeabe



Category: The Duchess (2008), Thor (Marvel) - Fandom
Genre: AU, Arranged Marriages, Gen, Loki and Georgiana Relationship, Loki is Odin and Frigga's biological son, Love at First Sight, Thor/Tristan and Isolde Crossover, Thor/the Duchess Crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2015-03-24
Packaged: 2018-03-04 06:35:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 104,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2955971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MedieavalBeabe/pseuds/MedieavalBeabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time that Loki Odinson and Georgiana Spencer laid eyes on one another, it was love at first sight.<br/>OR<br/>The one where Loki and Georgiana are betrothed and in love, but Thor and his betrothed Isolde can’t stand one another and need a few shoves from the romantic royal couple in order to find happiness. </p><p>(Dedicated to my good friend LoveAndHeartbreak; she not only put me onto the idea of shipping FrozenDuchess in the first place, but also gave me the idea to use Isolde with Thor. Her amazing Loki/Georgiana videos can be found on YT!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Mine."

 

_The first time that Loki Odinson and Georgiana Spencer laid eyes on one another, it was love at first sight._

_At least, that was what their Mothers used to whisper to one another as their children grew. It was decided the day of Georgiana’s birth that she would be betrothed and someday married to one of the sons of Odin Allfather. After all, in their land, it was something of a tradition, a custom even that the eldest daughter of an Earl or Lord or Duke or King would be betrothed to someone of wealth and status to not only provide for their future but to also strengthen the bonds between neighbouring kingdoms. That being said there were two families that the young Georgiana could marry into; the Cavendishes of the kingdom of Devonshir, which bordered Althrop, or the Royals of Asgard, which also bordered Althrop, the other side._

_“And I would rather my daughter married one of your boys than make a bond with Devonshir,” John Spencer told Odin that day, for he had never seen eye to eye with the Cavendish Duchy, and besides he and Odin were old friends. He knew that if any family could take care of his daughter, it was Odin, his wife Frigga and their two sons, Thor and Loki._

_Since Loki was closer to the newborn Georgiana in age, being three years old at the time, whilst his brother was six, it was decided that he should be the one to marry her. Of course being at such a young age, Loki didn’t quite know just how important this union between them would be and accepted it without question._

_“Why are we coming with you?” he asked as, four days after Georgiana’s birth, he sat alongside his mother in the carriage that was taking them to Althrop. Thor knelt opposite him, leaning out of the window and beside him Odin kept a close eye on his oldest son, for fear that he might suddenly fall out and be left behind on the road._

_“Because,” Frigga answered him, honestly, “you and Georgiana are going to be married someday, and although that day’s a long day off yet, her parents would like for the two of you to meet.”_

_Loki simply nodded as if satisfied with that answer and remained quiet for the remainder of the journey. It sort of made sense, he supposed, thinking about the day before when his Mother had taken them with her to buy a present for the baby girl. Loki had seen on a market seller’s stall a toy rabbit, almost life sized, with black smooth fur, honey-gold eyes and a golden bow tied around its neck, and chosen it for her._

_“Really?” Thor had asked, wrinkling his nose. “It’s not very girlish.”_

_Frigga had shot him a reprimanding look and picked up the toy. “I think she’ll love it, Loki.”_

_Now with the toy rabbit on his lap, Loki was left to his thoughts and simply nodded or smiled whenever Thor excitedly pointed something out to him on the road. They finally pulled up to the house and Loki stuck close to his Mother as they were greeted politely by a butler and then Odin was left to talk to his old friend John whilst Frigga, Thor and Loki were shown into the sitting room, where Margaret sat, holding her daughter and talking to a nursemaid. She smiled as the three of them were shown in, handing Georgiana absently to the nurse and getting to her feet as Frigga came to greet her with outstretched hands._

_“Frigga, so good to see you again,” she smiled, as the two women clasped hands and exchanged beams of pleasure. “We really must make more time to see one another; it’s been too long.”_

_“Our husbands always seem to find the time somehow,” Frigga laughed back, lightly, before propelling her sons forward. Thor smiled politely and returned Margaret’s greeting as she patted his shoulder, but Loki’s attention was already taken by the wrapped bundle, whose face he couldn’t yet see, being laid in the cradle by the fireplace and simply nodded when he heard Margaret say his name. From where he was standing, he couldn’t see anything of the girl he was supposed to marry one day, just the cradle, and it was rather frustrating. He craned his neck, trying to get a better look, but to no avail._

_Margaret saw where he was looking and smiled. “Come,” she said, softly, placing her hand at the small of Loki’s back and leading him to the cradle. Thor and Frigga followed and both couldn’t help smiling at the sight of the small girl, cocooned in a very pale green blanket, blinking drowsily at them as if unsure whether or not she wanted to sleep. Her eyes were a smoky blue colour, but it was likely that they would eventually change to brown, like those of her parents. The blue eyes found the green ones and then she gave a small wriggle of frustration, like she was fed up with being wrapped up in the blanket and wanted to be free._

_“She’s so...” Loki began._

_“Small,” Thor finished._

_“Pretty,” Loki corrected him, causing both women to exchange smiles._

_“Would you like to hold her?” Margaret asked him, softly._

_Loki looked up at her in surprise and then nodded. The nurse began to fuss around Georgiana, sorting the blanket around her, freeing her arms, and Margaret guided Loki over to the sofa, making sure that he was sitting up properly and propped up with cushions before he felt the small, precious bundle placed in his arms. “Support her head,” Margaret cooed, showing him. “That’s it.”_

_Loki looked down at Georgiana who was looking back at him with big, trusting eyes. She already had fine strands of blonde hair, soft and downy, and standing out gold against her pale skin. He was surprised by how quiet she was; weren’t babies meant to make a lot more noise than this?_

_“She likes you,” Margaret smiled._

_Thor climbed carefully onto the sofa to look down at the girl in his brother’s arms. “She’s just lovely, Margaret,” Frigga smiled, watching her boys._

_Loki looked up at Thor and suddenly felt a rush of pride, more than pride, a feeling that Georgiana was_ his, _and his alone, to be touched by no one but him, to be with no one but him until the day they died. And given that she was so pretty now, she would probably grow up to be very beautiful. Then, to his surprise, Georgiana made a small humming noise of contentment, snuggled closer so that her cheek was pressed against his chest and went to sleep._

_“She’s bored with you already,” Thor teased, with a grin._

_“No, Thor,” Frigga smiled, although her words were sincere as she placed a hand on her eldest son’s shoulder, feeling proud of Loki at that moment, “it just means that she’s content. She feels safe.”_

_“Hardly surprising,” Margaret chimed in. “You’re handling her so well, Loki.”_

_Loki smiled, feeling pleased with himself. For the remainder of the day he barely noticed what was said or done as the two women sat and talked around them whilst Thor tried to listen and join in occasionally, even though he didn’t really know what was going on, because all he could do was sit and watch Georgiana, his Georgiana, sleep, even though his arms were getting tired. Eventually, however, he felt her stir, give a snuffle and then she began to cry._

_Loki looked up in alarm as the nurse came over. “Did I do something wrong?”_

_“No,” Margaret reassured him, “she’s probably just hungry.”_

_As the nurse lifted the crying girl from his arms, Loki felt a sudden sense of loss, even though his arms were relieved to relinquish her, and before he could stop himself he had said to the nurse “Be careful with her.”_

_The nurse merely laughed, lightly, and assured him “Don’t worry, your Highness, I’ve done this many times before.”_

_That was when Loki remembered the rabbit, which he had left sitting beside him the whole time he had been holding his future bride, and he quickly followed the nurse, holding it in one hand, and tugged at her skirt to get her attention before saying “I brought her this.”_

_And the nurse smiled, took it from him and placed the toy in the cradle as Margaret and Frigga once again exchanged knowing glances._

_XXX_

_Loki only saw her once again after that, before the day before their wedding that is._

_Georgiana was almost a year old and attempting to stand on her own two feet, although sometimes she preferred to crawl; it was just easier that way. At any rate, Margaret was more concerned over the fact that Georgiana was almost one but hadn’t started trying to learn to talk yet. If she did talk, it was merely babble, not proper words at all._

_“Should I be worried?” she asked Margaret as they watched their children playing around on a picnic blanket together whilst the nurse kept a close eye on them. “I’m not asking for much, just if she tried to say some small words like “Yes” or “No.” I was talking already at her age.”_

_“She’ll do it when she’s ready to,” Frigga soothed her._

_On the blanket, Loki was crouched on all fours with Georgiana sat in front of him as Thor knelt up beside them, plucking at blades of grass in a bored manner. “Where’s Rabbit?” Loki asked, hiding the small stuffed toy behind his back and hoping that she wouldn’t get worried that her favourite toy had disappeared for good and start crying. Georgiana, however, proved to be much cleverer than that, to his immense delight as she crawled towards him and peered around him, trying to catch sight of her toy. With a grin, Loki produced the rabbit and she let out a shriek of laughter and caught hold of it as he held it out to her._

_“I read somewhere that clever children know that things are still there even when they’re hidden,” Thor commented, as Georgiana hugged her precious rabbit close to her._

_“She is clever,” Loki agreed. Then, noticing his brother looked uncomfortable, he added “What’s up?”_

_Thor shrugged. “You and her...she likes you.”_

_“So?”_

_“So she always wants to play with you,” Thor stated, although the “always” part was an exaggeration given that this was only the second time that Loki and Georgiana had ever seen each other. “I don’t think she likes me.”_

_Loki was surprised. “Yes, she does. She just...likes me more. Sorry.”_

_Thor shrugged. “It’s ok, Loki. I mean-”_

_“Loki!”_

_Both the young Princes stared rather comically at Georgiana as the nurse gave a gasp of delight and beckoned to her mistress. “Come quickly!”_

_“Loki,” Georgiana repeated with a proud smile as she looked at him._

_Loki pulled himself together at once. “She said my name!”_

_“What?” Margaret had just dropped onto the blanket beside them, looking worriedly at her daughter in case anything was wrong._

_“She said her first word,” the nurse replied, faintly._

_Loki tugged at Margaret’s sleeve. “She said my name! She said Loki!”_

_“Loki,” Georgiana repeated again, and Margaret gasped in delight. Behind her, Frigga laughed, softly as Thor moved closer to the girl and pointed to himself. “Thor,” he said._

_Georgiana looked at him and then tried “For?”_

_“Close enough,” Thor grinned, relieved that she had tried at least. No one could be prouder of her that day than Loki, however, and before they left, he pressed a small kiss to Georgiana’s forehead, smiling to himself as she chuckled in delight._

_XXX_

Loki paced nervously back and forth in his room. Nineteen years had passed since his last meeting with Georgian, nineteen long years that had been filled with lessons and combat training. His education had torn him away from Georgiana, far too early he felt, and had been one stuffed with study and bruises. He had come out of it with a vast knowledge of most things within and without the Nine Realms, an experienced hand with sword and daggers and an array of other skills, including archery, riding and dancing.

 

The one thing he had had very little experience with, however, was women, namely the woman he would be marrying tomorrow.

 

Loki ran a hand through his lengthy, dark hair. In nineteen years, he had grown into a lithe but strong youth, with classically handsome features and a rather mischievous demeanour, most of the time, intermixed with caution and a vulnerability that verged on gentleness. Whenever he thought about Georgiana, that pretty little child he used to play with at the age of four, it was always with fondness and affection, and then worry that she might have grown not to like him very much at all now they were grown and to be married.

 

The door opened suddenly and he spun around to see Thor grinning at him. “Just came to check you’re ready,” he said, slipping through the door and closing it behind him.

 

Loki looked his brother up and down and couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy. Thor himself was extremely good looking, taking mainly after their father in looks, and muscular and thereby adored by many women, even though he had, as far as Loki knew, taken none of them to bed yet. But Loki felt that his brother’s looks outshone his own and for the first time in his life, he suddenly worried if Thor mightn’t be more his betrothed’s type than he was.

 

“Loki?” Thor frowned, stepping up close to him.

 

Realising he hadn’t replied to his earlier comment, Loki roused himself. “Sorry,” he replied, glancing at his feet. “I’m...”

 

He couldn’t bring himself to say the word. Luckily for him, though, Thor had always been good at reading his little brother. “Nervous?” he finished, with a grin. “I think you’d be a fool if you weren’t.”

 

“What if we don’t like each other?” Loki asked, finally meeting his brother’s gaze.

 

Thor let out a boom of laughter. “Loki, everyone here knows you and Georgiana have been in love since you were tiny!”

 

“No, we haven’t!” Even as he denied it, childishly, Loki felt himself flushing. “I just...back then, it was like when...when Father first handed you that,” here he indicated Mjölnir in his brother’s fist, where it could usually be found, “and told you that it was yours.”

 

Thor gave a mock frown. “You mean you were suddenly filled with a desire to use Georgiana as a weapon?”

 

“Be serious!” Loki insisted, swatting at him as Thor chuckled at his own joke. “Didn’t you feel a sense that it was yours? And that if anyone else even touched it, you’d tear their head off?”

 

“Georgiana’s not a possession, Loki,” Thor began.

 

“I know, but I was _three!”_ Loki replied in exasperation, feeling that he was finally conveying the truth of things to his brother. “What else was I going to think?” He sighed. “What if she doesn’t like me?”

 

“But she does,” Thor insisted, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “How could anyone not like you, Loki? I mean, you’re...” He paused a moment, thinking, comically creasing his eyebrows together. Loki waited and when nothing happened, he pressed “Come on, this is the bit where you list my good points.”

 

Thor shook his head with a grin. “Can’t think of any!”

 

“Thor!” Loki couldn’t help laughing as he threw a punch at his brother’s arm. Thor laughed too as he grabbed his brother in a one-armed hug. “Well, at least you’re smiling now,” he pointed out, and then, sobering up, he released Loki only to place both hands on his shoulders and look straight at him. “Loki, I’m serious; you’ll be fine.”

 

Loki shrugged as if he still didn’t quite believe it but smiled. “Thanks, Thor.”

 

“No problem,” Thor replied, patting his shoulder. “After all, you’re my brother and I love you.”

 

“Alright, don’t overdo it,” Loki grinned, making his way to the door.

 

XXX

 

“Mama, what if Loki and I don’t like each other?”

 

Georgiana did have to ask herself why she had left it so late to ask that question as the carriage pulled up at the palace steps. She put it down to nerves. After all, whilst Loki could remember their last two meetings quite well, she couldn’t remember them at all, even though her Mother had described both moments well enough to her. She didn’t even know what he looked like, she realised, not really; all she knew was what her mother had taught her, that he had black hair and green eyes and had been, when she had last seen him, a little shorter than his brother.

 

“Georgiana, you two have known each other since you were children,” Margaret replied, soothingly, as she alighted from the carriage. “You’ve nothing to worry about.”

 

“But I haven’t seen him since I was, well, not even a year old,” Georgiana protested, following her, hitching her skirt perhaps a little too high over her ankles by Althrop standards as she climbed down the steps and stood looking up at the palace. She felt a shiver of anticipation that this was to be her home.

 

“Gee,” John smiled, following her out, “from what Odin has told me, there’s no reason that you two shouldn’t get along. You’ve so many similar interests and he’ll certainly take care of you. Ah,” he added as a servant came hurrying up to them to inform them that due to the fact they were a little earlier than expected, Odin and Frigga couldn’t greet them just yet but that they could wait in their rooms until the King and Queen were out of their diplomatic meeting. To be perfectly honest, Georgiana was a little relieved when they said that; at least she could have a little time to freshen up after her long and tedious carriage ride. Diligently, she followed the servant who took her trunk to the room she would be spending the night in and graciously thanked him when he left her, feeling her nerves relax a little.

 

She had to ask herself why she was so nervous. After all, her parents were right, she had known Loki since they were children, so it wasn’t like they were strangers meeting for the first time, and if what Odin had said was true, then there was more of a chance that they could make their marriage work than not.

 

Even so, she found herself reaching into her trunk and pulling out Rabby. Obviously she didn’t play with him anymore, but he was something of a comfort object now, a soft ornament, even, and she made a point of always taking him with her whenever she left Althrop, because it felt like taking a bit of home with her. Now, however, she felt like a child again as she hugged him close, reminding herself that Loki had been the one to give him to her, even if she couldn’t remember it. She made a mental note to thank him for the gesture at some point.

 

A sense of restlessness came over her and she found herself wandering down the halls, stopping when she came across a door that was slightly ajar. Curiously, she peeked inside and was amazed as she pushed open the door and found herself in a room filled entirely with books. Even the door, she realised, as she shut it, was also a bookshelf. The shelves reached all the way up to the sky, it seemed, given that the room as made entirely of what looked like glass but which was actually diamond, letting in as little or as much light as the day would allow.

 

“Wow,” Georgiana whispered, turning this way and that as she set Rabby on a nearby table and ran her hand along the enormous fat volumes along one shelf. She pulled a few out and flicked through them, making sure to put them back carefully afterwards. The library seemed to have books on every single subject that existed, and she reflected that if Loki truly shared her love of reading, then they could certainly spend many happy days in here.

 

Then sudden footsteps alerted her to the fact that someone was in the room with her. Suddenly remembering that she was a guest in this place for now and really shouldn’t be in here without having been invited first, she quickly pushed the book she had been flicking through back onto the shelf and made a hasty exit. It was only when she was halfway down the corridor that she realised what she had forgotten.

 

XXX

 

In the library, Loki wandered down the vast length of his favourite section, wishing that there was such a book with instructions on how to soothe his fears. After all, this library was meant to have everything but he highly doubted there was a book on that, having read nearly every single one it contained in his youth. Soon his feet were off the carpet and against the cool marble surface off the floor as he came to the corner, turned it...and frowned.

 

There, sitting on the table, was the same rabbit toy he had given Georgiana when she was four days old. It took a second for his mind to catch up as he picked the thing up off the table and wondered what it was doing there, and then common sense set in.

 

She had arrived.

 

XXX

 

Georgiana hurried back to the library, hoping to just snatch up Rabby and get back to her room again, but as she tumbled again through the door, she stared at the now empty table and her heart began to pace.

 

“Rabby?” she muttered, like a child, as if the thing could hear her, and she hurried up to check under the table, but no. The rabbit was gone. At once she felt tears spring to her eyes but she blinked them back fiercely, scolding herself for getting so worked up like this over something so silly...but the thing was Loki had given it to her and surely that would be a bit of an insult if he learned that she had lost the thing. Added to that, she just wanted him back, so she began to search, hurrying around a corner and almost colliding with someone standing there.

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Georgiana stammered, blushing.

 

“That’s...” Loki broke off as their eyes met, intent rich brown ones gazing into green ones, and then, remembering how to talk, went on quickly “That’s alright, it was my fault.”

 

Georgiana tried to smile but it was hard to. Loki looked at her carefully. Whoever this girl was, she was extremely beautiful. “Are you alright?” he asked.

 

She took a deep breath, hoping that she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself in front of this handsome stranger. “I, um, I left something in here just now but it’s not on the table anymore. It’s, well, it’s my old stuffed rabbit,” she added quickly, hoping he wouldn’t dwell too much on her words. “Obviously, I don’t always carry him everywhere with me, but I really don’t want to have lost him.”

 

Loki felt his eyes widen slightly. This was Georgiana; this woman with the golden hair and brown eyes and this ethereal, angelic glow about her, his Georgiana? His heart began to race at once. Fixing his face into a smile, he replied “Don’t worry. Things have a strange was of just popping up out of nowhere in this library.”

 

Then, from behind his back, he produced the rabbit and Georgiana threw a hand up to her mouth with a delighted gasp of “Rabby!” Then, in answer to Loki’s surprised look, added quickly “I couldn’t pronounce the word Rabbit when I was smaller, so I used to say Rabby and it sort of stuck.” Blushing furiously by now as Loki handed it to her, she added “Thank you for finding him for me. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost him.”

 

“He must mean a lot to you,” Loki commented.

 

“Well, he was the first present my betrothed ever gave me,” Georgiana explained.

 

“To date, the _only_ present he’s ever given you,” Loki replied.

 

Georgiana’s eyes widened in realization. “Loki?” Her blush deepened as she smiled in embarrassment. “Have I just made a complete fool of myself?”

 

“No,” Loki replied, truthfully, taking her hand and kissing it. “And I know this is going to sound like a completely stupid thing to say, but you’ve grown up a lot since I last saw you.”

 

“Well, so have you,” Georgiana returned, feeling her embarrassment, and blushes, fading. “Although I must admit I can’t actually remember either of our last meetings, sorry.”

 

Loki smiled. “I didn’t expect you to. You were barely a child back then.”

 

“My Mother did tell me about you whenever I asked,” Georgiana added, “But it’s not quite the same as remembering it for myself.”

 

“Speaking of which,” Loki replied, finally dropping her hand, reluctantly, “we’d probably better catch up to them. I think my parents are done with their meeting at last.”

 

Georgiana nodded and took the arm he offered her. A desire to touch the other filled them both, touch them in a more intimate, private way that would be allowed in public in an age where even passionately kissing was considered something best kept inside the bedroom, and Georgiana found herself hoping that Loki would keep a-hold of her one way or another for the rest of the day. “Do you mind if we stop off by my room on the way?” she asked. “I’d rather not have Mama know I’m carrying this around with me.”

 

Loki grinned at her. “There is a quicker way, you know,” he told her, and then, taking Rabby from her, he caused the thing to disappear. “On your bed now,” he informed her.

 

Georgiana blinked at him. “How?”

 

“Magic,” Loki whispered, mischievously, provoking a soft laugh from his betrothed.

 

XXX

 

The whole time they were together, Loki and Georgiana remained close, neither wishing to be parted from the other for more than a few moments. It was, however, very difficult to have a conversation with one another given that Thor, Odin, Frigga, Margaret and John were also present.

 

They were able to have a few brief tender moments, however.

 

“So, Georgiana,” Odin smiled at her over dinner, “how are you finding Asgard so far?”

 

Georgiana smiled back, politely. “Asgard is everything I imagined, and more, Your Majesty. In a lot of ways it’s quite different to Althrop and that’s something of a relief.”

 

“Oh?” Thor raised an eyebrow. “In what way?”

 

“Well, it seems to me that, from what I’ve seen so far, people are more accepting of one another. I feel like I can be my own person and not have to worry about whether or not it’s the right thing to be,” Georgiana explained.

 

Loki watched her, carefully. “Not all people in Althrop are like that?”

 

“Indeed not,” Georgiana replied, looking at him. “Certainly some of the men I’ve met value women for silence and obedience instead of intelligence and intuitiveness.”

 

“And I’m guessing you fall into the latter?”

 

“I’m not very good at being silent, as you can tell.”

 

“Personally I find silence and obedience rather unattractive in women,” Loki replied.

 

Georgiana smiled. “So I’m safe, then?”

 

He returned her smile. “Indeed.”

 

The others all exchanged a glance but simply smiled and went back to their food without comment. It was only when the meal was over that Loki and Georgiana noticed that, during their conversation, they had reached across the table and joined hands.

 

XXX

 

Tactfully, Frigga was able to come up with an excuse for the five of them to leave Loki and Georgiana alone for a while, let them have a turnabout in the gardens or something whilst their parents caught up together in the courtroom, with Thor, and Loki was grateful to her for that. Walking alongside Georgiana felt like the most natural thing in the world, as if they had been born to be together all along, and a part of him was beginning to wonder if Thor hadn’t been right after all.

 

“This place is so beautiful,” Georgiana murmured, leaning against him as they walked alone through the grounds. “We don’t have gardens like this in Althrop.”

 

“You should see them at night.” Loki indicated a torch hanging on the garden wall. “When it gets dark, the servants light all the torches so the whole garden’s aglow, and that’s when the fireflies come out. It’s a beautiful sight.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “I would like to see that.”

 

They both sat down on a nearby bench for a moment, drinking in the warmth of the day and reveling in the pleasure of finally being alone together. Neither could get over how natural it felt to be together, how quickly they had taken to one another and just how much they didn’t want to be apart. Eventually, Loki decided to ask the question he had been pondering since he met her.

 

“Georgiana,” he began, shifting a little closer to her, and she turned to him. “May I...that is...would it be alright if...?”

 

Georgiana looked up at him. “What is it, Loki?”

 

He decided to just go for it. “May I kiss you?”

 

Georgiana felt a flurry of excitement in her stomach as she nodded, and then, slightly nervously, whispered “Yes. Yes, you may.”

 

His own heart racing, Loki leaned forwards and Georgiana felt her eyes flutter shut as he brushed his lips to hers, gently at first, letting her know that she could pull away at any time if she was uncomfortable. When she made no move to, he pursued and she parted her lips, allowing him the access he was craving. Losing herself, Georgiana pressed closer to him, slowly winding her arms around his neck and Loki slipped his around her waist, pulling her so close that she was almost on his lap, not that either of them would have minded about that, but there was the chance that someone could walk across them at any moment. Eventually they parted, although the closeness remained as they caught their breath, the taste of the other still lingering on their lips.

 

“Would you care to join me for a garden walk tonight?” Loki breathed, resting his forehead against hers.

 

Georgiana nodded, slowly. “I would like that very much, Loki.”

 

Loki kissed her again, just a gentle one this time. After all, if her lips looked too swollen, people would only talk, and he didn’t want her to feel like he was trying to rush things along when they had all the time in the world for such things.

 

They walked every inch of the palace, hand in hand by this time, just talking, sharing stories and laughing together, like they had been doing it all their lives.

 

“How much has your Mother told you about our first meeting?” Loki found himself asking, presently.

 

“Everything,” Georgiana replied, lightly, and then, blushing, added “Including the fact that you held me and I fell asleep in your arms because I felt safe with you.”

 

“See, you were intelligent even back then,” Loki smiled.

 

Georgiana laughed, and then glanced at him. “I’m sure you couldn’t pick me up, now, though.”

 

“Couldn’t I?” Loki returned, meeting her look with a mischievous one of her own, and then, before she could say anything, he picked her up by the waist, lifting her off her feet and holding her so that she was higher than him with her feet off the floor, looking down at him.

 

“Oh!” Georgiana exclaimed in surprise as she quickly wrapped her arms about him to steady herself. “Well, it looks like I was wrong.”

 

Loki smiled a slightly sad smile at her. “I may not have Thor’s muscle but that doesn’t mean I’m weak.”

 

Georgiana brought her face closer to his. “I don’t think I like men with muscles like that anyway.”

 

She smelt wonderful, Loki realised, her natural scent was heavenly. Without even realizing he was doing it, he nuzzled her neck, inhaling and Georgiana closed her eyes a moment, his touch lulling her slightly.

 

“May I kiss you here?” Loki whispered.

 

“Yes,” Georgiana breathed back, but then she quickly clasped his shoulder before his lips could touch her.

 

Loki glanced up at her worried expression. “What is it?”

 

“You’re...not going to bite me, are you?” Georgiana asked, nervously.

 

Realizing what she meant, Loki smiled reassuringly. “I’m not a vampire, Georgiana, I don’t want to eat you.” She gave a small laugh of relief and then her eyes fluttered shut again as he gently pressed his lips against her throat, three times.

 

“Your lips are so soft,” she whispered, looking down at him.

 

Loki set her back down on her feet, brushing her hair back from her face. “I keep thinking of you as some...fragile being,” he confessed with a smile. “Someone I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of.”

 

Georgiana smiled back at him, resting her hands on his chest. “Well, I don’t think I’m quite so fragile as you might think, but I am honored that you want to look after me.”

 

Loki would have happily kissed her again but at that moment they both heard footsteps rounding the corner, so, smiling at one another, they clasped hands and continued their walk. Eventually, the sky darkened and the servants began to light the lamps in the garden, so they wandered out together, not caring that it had been hours and hours since they had seen anyone else, just one another. After all, why did it matter? This day was for them, not for anyone else.

 

The gardens were bathed in a golden glow, like a sunset hiding behind each leaf, and as they walked along, the tiny glowing lights of the fireflies began to emerge, like stars dancing right in front of them. The actual stars too were glowing, winking down on the two young people, and the sky was so clear that the moon bathed every shadow silver.

 

“You were right,” Georgiana murmured, shivering. “It does look much more beautiful by night.”

 

Loki glanced at her. “Are you cold?”

 

“Just a little. I should have brought a shawl.” Loki quickly removed his cloak and draped it around her shoulders before she could argue. “Oh!” Georgiana was surprised but touched, no, more than touched, by the gesture as he tied it about her. “Thank you, but aren’t you going to be cold?”

 

“No, I don’t really feel the cold much,” Loki answered, honestly, meeting her eyes. She was looking at him with a mixture of adoration, curiosity and warmth. Suddenly unsure of himself for the first time, he offered her a nervous smile and she suddenly giggled. “What?” he couldn’t help asking.

 

“I was just wondering why I was so nervous before,” Georgiana replied. “I mean I thought...you wouldn’t like me and now you’ve been nothing but a perfect gentleman, I feel like such a fool.”

 

With a tender smile, Loki cupped her face in both hands, looking deeply into her eyes. “I was worried we wouldn’t like each other too. But...you’ve bewitched me, Georgiana, completely, and...”

 

Was he really about to say it? It all seemed impossible knowing that they had only known each other a day, and yet...yet it just felt so real, so right.

 

“And?” Georgiana prompted, in a whisper, her eyes closing as he pulled her closer.

 

“And I love you.” Georgiana’s eyes flew open as she looked at him and saw that he was completely serious. Loki gave her a small shrug. “You have managed to make me fall hopelessly in love with you, Georgiana.”

 

Georgiana looked up at him and realised that she felt exactly the same. “That’s just as well, Loki, because you’ve managed to bewitch and make me fall in love with you too.”

 

This time when he kissed her she didn’t hesitate but simply flung her arms around his neck and clung to him tightly, not wanting the moment to end. It did, though, and sooner than anticipated as a voice suddenly said “Loki, are you out here-oh!”

 

Loki and Georgiana glanced up, sharply, startled at Thor’s sudden appearance. Thankfully, Thor tactfully excused himself and hurried back into the palace. Loki couldn’t help looking somewhat annoyed and Georgiana giggled. “I am going to murder him,” Loki muttered.

 

“Please don’t,” Georgiana replied, in a teasing tone as she took his hand. “I’d rather not marry a murderer.”

 

Loki met her gaze and they both laughed, the magic of the moment returning. Hand in hand, they wandered, feeling more at ease with each other than ever and all too soon it was time to turn in. After all, in the morning they would be married. Georgiana smiled to herself as Loki walked her back to her room, reflecting that soon she would be sharing a room, a home, a lifetime, with Loki and how after so many years feeling alone, away from him, she felt more than ready for that.

 

At her door, she turned to smile at Loki. “I just...can’t believe that we’ll be married tomorrow. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever.”

 

Loki smiled back at her. “Me too.” Then, pulling her into his arms, he whispered “Goodnight, Georgiana.”

 

“Goodnight, Loki,” Georgiana whispered, kissing him one last time that night.


	2. Celebration in Asgard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weddings are always wonderful.
> 
> Wedding nights are more wonderful still.

 

The next morning, the day was bright and clear, as days in Asgard usually were, unless the Norns decided to make it stormy, but even then there was usually some warning, a general change in the atmosphere or something. But today they seemed to be smiling, as if they somehow knew that today was a day for celebration.

 

Georgiana felt a thrill of excitement as the maid assigned to assist her that day styled her hair for her. She didn’t, however, if she was perfectly honest, want servants running around after her night and day, she had decided. Once she was married to Loki, it would be nice if they could just do things for themselves and not have to rely on anyone else for menial tasks like this. After all, she was perfectly capable of styling her own hair, although she knew that the only reason Frigga had felt it necessary to employ a maid for the task was simply because it was, after all, her wedding day, perhaps the most important day of her entire life, and unlike a lot of people she knew in Althrop, she was only planning on doing this once.

 

“Thank you,” she smiled as the maid finally finished sweeping her hair into the simple but elegant style that Georgiana found actually suited her. The maid simply smiled and curtsied to her before laying out the beautiful dress she was to wear; a delicate gown of white cotton, with a low neckline and white lacing at the bodice and long sleeves of a sheer material that were wide and floaty, and reminded her of butterfly wings. It had been made specifically for her the day before by the royal dressmakers, with some input from Frigga, and, of course, a little magic, and Georgiana was sure it was the most beautiful outfit she had ever laid eyes on, and certainly the most beautiful that she would ever own. Diligently, she allowed herself to be dressed, her feet clad in beautiful white satin slippers, like the kind women on stage wore to dance in, and her face lightly made up, to look natural but radiant. Just as the maid had finished, there was a soft tap at the door and Margaret came in, dressed in a soft peach coloured gown, trimmed with ivory lace. Her face lit up at once and tears sprang to her eyes as she drifted towards her daughter with her hands outstretched.

 

“Oh, Gee, you look so beautiful,” she sighed, clasping Georgiana’s hands.

 

“Mama, you’re crying,” Georgiana realised.

 

“Oh, I’m fine, darling,” her Mother insisted, fishing out a lace-edged handkerchief and wiping her eyes. “It’s just, well, I’ve thought about this day for so long and now it feels like it’s come too soon.”

 

Georgiana realised then for the first time what it meant to be marrying; to be leaving her home and family, not for good, but to stop living there with them altogether. It would be so strange not to sleep in her own bed permanently anymore, and how odd it would be for her parents, and her siblings, not to have her living there anymore. But then, she reflected, on the other hand, it wasn’t the end, but a whole new beginning of a new life for her, one that she would be spending with Loki, and the thought of that warmed her heart.

 

“Mama, it’s not like you’ll never see me again,” she replied, hoping to reassure her.

 

“Oh, I know that, Gee, of course I do. I’m just so happy that it seems to have worked out so well, you and Loki, I mean.” Taking a deep breath, Margaret pulled herself together and hugged her daughter tightly. “I just know that you’re going to be very happy together.”

 

“I do too, Mama,” Georgiana whispered, hugging her tightly. “Last night...it’s all been like some wonderful dream. Last night we went for a walk in the gardens, they were so beautiful all lit up, and...”

 

“Yes?” her Mother prompted.

 

“Loki told me he loved me,” Georgiana breathed, clinging to her Mother tighter as she felt her heart give a little kick at the memory.

 

“Oh, I know that.” Margaret smiled as she finally extracted herself from her daughter’s arms and held her out happily. “He was always so protective of you as a child. I think it was inevitable that you two would fall for one another.”

 

“Oh, please don’t tell Papa he was right after all,” Georgiana replied. “He’ll gloat.”

 

Her Mother laughed. “I don’t think anyone needs to tell him, Georgiana. Your Father’s not blind. None of us are.” Then as her daughter frowned at her, she laughed. “You and Loki at dinner last night; you could barely keep your eyes off each other, and I think you two were the only ones who didn’t notice you were holding hands with one another for the best part of the meal.”

 

Georgiana blushed. “Were we really that obvious?”

 

“Yes. But don’t worry, darling,” Margaret added, lifting her daughter’s chin tenderly. “As long as you two are happy, that’s all that matters.”

 

Georgiana smiled and there came a second tap at the door. “Come in,” Georgiana called and Frigga stepped into the room, wrapped in a beautiful dress of gilded platinum silk, and looking for all the world like a Queen.

 

“Oh, Georgiana, you look so beautiful,” she beamed, floating over and wrapping the young girl in a motherly hug. “Just like a true Princess of Asgard.”

 

“That’s what I said,” Margaret smiled.

 

“Thank you,” Georgiana replied, returning the embrace. “And may I just say I’m honoured to be marrying your son today?”

 

“I’d say more than honoured,” Frigga teased, releasing her, and causing Georgiana to blush further.

 

That was when John came into the room. “Everyone’s ready,” he began and then cut himself off as Georgiana turned to smile at him. “Georgiana. You look radiant as an angel.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “I feel like I’m glowing,” she confessed.

 

“You are,” John replied, looking for all the Nine Realms as if he might start crying too. Georgiana prayed that he wouldn’t, or else they might be here all day. Thankfully he didn’t, but simply offered his daughter his arm and as Georgiana took it, she felt like she might finally be leaving her childhood behind and taking her first steps into womanhood.

 

XXX

 

The great hall had been decorated for the occasion; the best curtains hung above the open windows and garlands of flowers everywhere. The seats were filled with people, mainly of Asgard, friends of the family and such, along with Thor’s friends Sif, Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun, and a few of John Spencer’s closest friends too. The Priest stood upright at the front of the room, looking very sure of himself as he clasped his Holy Book in his hands, a confident smile on his face. Beside his brother, Thor glanced around once at the beautiful setting, and then leaned closer to Loki.

 

“Nervous?” he whispered.

 

Loki glanced at him. “No.” He couldn’t help saying it in a tone that indicated Thor was being completely daft if he believed him nervous. After all, he had nothing to be nervous about.

 

“Thought not,” Thor grinned. The night before he had managed to collar Loki before his brother had turned in and the pair of them had sat up on Loki’s bed together for at least two hours, talking. Of course, Loki had had to clout him for walking in on him and Georgiana during their intimate moment in the garden, but Thor had simply laughed and taken it in good humour.

 

_“I admit, that was not what I expected to come across when I went looking for you,” he grinned._

_Loki returned his grin with a sheepish one of his own as he ran a hand through his hair. “To be honest, I hadn’t expected it either, not at first.” He hesitated before asking “Do you think it’s possible to fall in love with someone in the space of a day? I mean, do you believe in love at first sight?”_

_“Ah...” Thor thought for a moment. “I’m not entirely sure. I mean I don’t think I did, until I realised how attracted to each other you two were, still are,” he added, quickly._

_“Well, do you think that two people are sometimes just meant to be together?” Loki persisted. “Like the Fates have it planned out for some divine purpose or other?”_

_Thor grinned broadly then. “In the case of you two, I would say yes, absolutely.” Then, realising just how deeply his brother seemed to have fallen, his expression became serious. “You really are, aren’t you?” he asked, causing Loki to look up at him. “In love with her, I mean.”_

_Loki gave a small smile. “Hopelessly. Truly,” he added. “I just know that I’ll love no one else but her for the rest of my life.”_

_Thor looked at him, carefully, sensing there was more. “And she loves you?”_

_Feeling that if he smiled again he might break something, Loki nodded. Thor let out a laugh of delight and slapped his brother’s shoulder playfully. “I knew it! I told you everything was going to be alright! Argh!” he added as Loki thumped him with his pillow. “What was that for?”_

_“I hate it when you’re right,” Loki answered, grinning._

Now in the present, Loki turned his head as the doors opened and John and Georgiana stepped into the room, arm in arm. Behind them, Margaret and Frigga followed, quietly slipping into their seats as they reached the front row and Loki felt his heart rate speed up slightly as Georgiana reached him. She had looked nervous, more worried about tripping over her own feet as she walked along than anything, up until she had noticed how close she was to him and now she smiled, her whole face aglow, and Loki returned it as they exchanged unsaid words, words that could be conveyed through looks and that didn’t really need saying.

 

Looking the proudest he had ever been in his entire life, John took his daughter’s hand and placed it in Loki’s, as was traditional to so, and offered Loki a smile that said “I trust you, so please take care of my daughter.” Silently Loki promised to, with a small nod.

 

“Welcome, welcome, welcome everyone,” the Priest began, opening his book, “as we are met on this beautiful day to bear witness to the blessed union...”

 

Loki and Georgiana barely heard the rest, almost completely unaware of anything in the room but each other. Loki gave her fingers a gentle squeeze and Georgiana looked up at him with a smile that lit her entire face, and which made Loki want to kiss her so unbelievably badly. At any rate, the Priest finally reached the part with the vows and they were made without hesitation, and the Priest, looking satisfied that, once again, he had conducted a wedding ceremony that hadn’t been interrupted by someone objecting at the last minute, closed his book and declared at last “Then I decree, by the powers vested in me by the Nine Realms, that you be husband and wife, and wish upon you every happiness life can bestow.”

 

That was the signal for them to kiss, to seal their union, which of course, they were only too glad to do. Georgiana leaned up and allowed Loki to brush her lips with a gentle kiss, but no further. He understood. After all, such passionate kissing would only cause rumours, and to be perfectly honest he didn’t want their personal feelings for one another advertised anymore than she did, so he was content with a small but passionately felt kiss.

 

At once the hall erupted in applause as the guests stood up from their chairs with beaming faces and the two broke apart to greet the applause with smiles of their own. Then Loki felt Thor’s hand grasp his shoulder and when he turned to his brother, he was met with a beam of pleasure.

 

“Georgiana,” Thor smiled, lifting her free hand and kissing it. “Congratulations, and might I just say it will be a pleasure having you for a sister.”

 

Georgiana laughed, softly. “Why, thank you, Thor. I’m honoured that you feel that way.”

 

“Come on,” Loki smiled at her. “I believe it’s customary for us to lead the party out of here.”

 

Georgiana slipped her arm through his, feeling a great rush of love for him and wishing that the day would go by a lot faster so that they might be able to be alone together again, and express their feelings with more than just words.

 

XXX

 

The dancing seemed to go on forever.

 

Loki thanked the Fates, or whoever’s work it had been, that he was skilled in such matters, now that he was having to put those skills to the test. The last thing he wanted was for Georgiana to feel uncomfortable, especially on their wedding day, and she seemed both surprised and delighted by this talent as he swept her around the floor.

 

“I didn’t know you could dance so well,” she smiled up at him.

 

Loki grinned back at her, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “Well, there’s a lot you still don’t know about me.”

 

“Well, I have time to learn it all, don’t I?” Georgiana teased, pressing closer to him, and then offering him a mock frown. “There’s nothing bad I need to know, is there?”

 

“I can’t think of anything,” Loki shrugged. “Well, I may punch Thor from time to time when he gets on my nerves but that’s about it,” and Georgiana giggled.

 

“May I cut in?” Odin asked, coming up to them.

 

“Alright, but I dance far better with women,” Loki jested, prompting Georgiana to laugh again.

 

“Very funny,” Odin smiled.

 

“Surely you can part with me for a moment?” Georgiana smiled.

 

“Alright,” Loki replied, smiling, before turning to his Father with an expression of mock-seriousness, “but I want her back in one piece. I know what you’re like.”

 

“Don’t let him get away with being so cocky all the time, Georgiana,” Odin replied, taking her hand. “Don’t be afraid to put him in his place.”

 

“Oh, I shan’t,” Georgiana promised, winking at Loki before she allowed Odin to pull her into a dance. Loki watched her with a mixture of fondness and pride before his Mother approached him and asked if her youngest son would dance with her whilst she still had the ability to do so.

 

“I must say,” Odin commented to Georgiana, “I have never seen Loki look so happy before in his life.”

 

Georgiana bowed her head. “He makes me happy too, Your Majesty.”

 

“Oh, please, none of that,” Odin insisted. “You’re family now, Georgiana, you must call us by our first names.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “Very well, Odin, although it will take some getting used to.”

 

The dancing soon picked up as everyone began to dance with everyone, people just dancing with whoever they happened to bump into or pass by, and Georgiana soon found herself passed from guest to guest like a book being passed around a group of literary intellectuals, until she felt herself spun backwards into someone’s arms.

 

“May I have this one?” Loki whispered in her ear.

 

Georgiana smiled in relief. “You may, my Prince.” Then, without thinking about the fact that they were in front of so many people, she spun about and kissed him passionately. Loki also forgot himself for a moment as he pulled her close and kissed her back. Georgiana only remembered where they were when she noticed how quiet the room suddenly seemed. Embarrassed, she quickly tore away from him, casting her eyes to the floor and just knowing that she was blushing. Before she could say anything, though, Loki quickly took her hands and pulled her into the dance, using the other dancers to shield them from view of those gawping at them. Thankfully the matter was quickly forgotten as everyone else got caught up again in the dancing and Loki was able to quickly steer them out onto the balcony.

 

The cool night air hit her like the flap of a fan and Georgiana blinked, cursing herself inwardly for being so thoughtless. “I’m so sorry,” she apologised. “I just...” There was no excuse to be found but the truth. “...Forgot.” She quickly covered her face with her hands. “Oh, Norns, have I just made a complete fool of myself?”

 

“No.”Gently, Loki cupped her face, causing her to look up at him. “You haven’t.”

 

“You don’t have to be nice-” Georgiana began.

 

“I’m not,” Loki insisted, truthfully.

 

“But...everyone saw it... and now they’ll be talking...”

 

“Then let them talk.”

 

With that, Loki stepped closer and kissed her, pouring as much passion into it as before. Throwing caution to the wind, Georgiana flung her arms around his neck and kissed him back, daringly allowing herself to run one hand through his hair. Loki sighed softly into her mouth and pulled her against him, so close that they were pressed together, heat pulsating between them.

 

“I haven’t embarrassed you, then?” Georgiana breathed as they finally parted.

 

Loki shook his head, his breath mingling with hers. “You could never do that, Georgiana,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms and burying his face in her hair. “Besides, it’s our wedding day; why shouldn’t we be allowed to show affection towards one another?”

 

She smiled, relaxing into his embrace. “I do love you, Loki,” she whispered, tightening her arms about him.

 

“I love _you,_ Georgiana,” Loki murmured back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Now, will you do something for me?”

 

“Anything,” Georgiana said, looking sharply up at him.

 

Loki couldn’t help chuckling at her eager devotion. “Please stop thinking that anything you do is scandalous or going to bring ruin to Asgard.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “I promise.”

 

“Good.” Loki brushed her forehead with a kiss. “Now I think we’d better rejoin the guests, otherwise we’ll never get rid of them all.”

 

XXX

 

Eventually, the guests did leave, breaking off in small groups, many of them extremely intoxicated by the amount of alcohol they had consumed. Somehow Loki had a feeling that Thor and Volstagg were mainly to blame for that, but he didn’t say anything since they looked a little more than merry themselves and Sif, Fandral and Hogun were having to drag them off to their rooms. Georgiana swiftly bid her parents goodnight before she walked with Loki to their room. The servants had, rather thoughtfully and possibly on Frigga’s orders, brought her things to the room and set everything out ready for them, and she resolved to thank them for that in the morning.

 

There was an awkward pause as they both looked at the bed, and then Georgiana stammered “I should...get ready.”

 

Loki caught her hand as she made for the bathroom. “Georgiana,” he said, looking straight into her eyes, “nothing _has_ to happen, you know, tonight, if you’re not ready.”

 

Georgiana was touched and she stepped back to him. “No, I am, Loki. I am ready, and I want to...with you,” she finished, blushing. Thankfully, though, Loki wasn’t one to make her feel like a fool. Other people, yes, Thor especially, but never Georgiana. Lifting her chin gently, he kissed her once, briefly and she smiled before hurrying into the bathroom.

 

Loki walked over to the bed and began to undress himself, removing his belt and stripping his over-tunic over his head and folding it carefully before tossing both onto the nearest chair. He sat down on the bed to pull off his boots, a tingle of excitement and anticipation running through him. Just as he had pulled off the other one, the bathroom door re-opened and he looked up to see Georgiana in her chemise and dressing robe, her hair loose and her feet bare. Slowly, Loki got to his feet and she padded quietly towards him. Loki wrapped his arms about her and kissed her and she clung to him, suddenly wanting more than just this, so much more. Loki sat down, pulling her onto his lap and running his fingers through her hair, soothingly massaging her scalp and Georgiana made a small sigh of contentment against his lips.

 

“I like that,” she murmured, and then as he pressed kisses to her neck like the night before, she added “And I like that too.”

 

Loki moved his head, kissing further downwards, pulling the neck of her robe to one side and kissing her shoulder. Georgiana shifted her position in his lap, realising just how aroused she was by him, and then a moment later how much he was by her. Slowly she shucked her robe, shaking it off her onto the floor, and wrapping her arms about him, feeling for the bottom of his shirt. Loki quickly helped her, tossing the thing down with her robe and as her hands began to explore the contours of his skin, he sighed, softly.

 

“Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” he teased, nuzzling her nose for a moment.

 

“I think I’d remember,” Georgiana teased back, kissing him. The straps of her chemise were falling down her shoulders and the skirt ruckling up where she was sitting in Loki’s lap. Gradually he brought his hand down from her waist to rest at the top of her thigh. When Georgiana didn’t pull away or make any move to shake him off, he plucked gently at the hem of her skirt before moving it upwards, exposing her bare flesh beneath and then, moving his hand further, stroking the small of her back beneath the silk. Realising that this was it, Georgiana suddenly felt a twinge of nerves for the first time that night, but she quietly pulled away from him, getting to her feet and making to pull off her chemise. Loki quickly got to his feet and caught her hands. “May I?”

 

She nodded and allowed him to undress her, but as she stood before him, allowing his eyes to drink in her naked form, old insecurities hit her, memories of people’s harsh, taunting comments, came flying back to hit her like a slap in the face and she quickly pushed past him, clambered onto the bed and folded into herself, feeling warm tears spill down her face as she curled up against the sheets.

 

“Georgiana?” Alarmed by her reaction, Loki lay down quickly beside her and pulled her close. “What is it; what’s wrong?”

 

“I’m sorry,” Georgiana whispered, wiping her eyes. “I just...I wish I could be beautiful for you.”

 

Loki stared at her. “Georgiana, you _are_ beautiful! Who’s been telling you otherwise?”

 

Through her tears she looked up at him, slightly hopefully. “I’m not too thin? Too small in places?”

 

“You’re not _too_ anything,” Loki insisted. “You’re perfect. Where do you get this idea that you’re not?”

 

Georgiana took a deep breath. “It was just something someone said. Well, quite a few people, women, mostly, at social gatherings and that...and sometimes at school.”

 

“And you believed them?” Loki cupped her face, bringing her eyes up level with his. “Georgiana, they probably said things like that because they were jealous of your beauty, beauty they could never possess.”

 

“You mean that?”

 

“With all my heart.”

 

Feeling her own heart fluttering, Georgiana pressed closer to him. “Thank you,” she breathed, and then her hands moved, playing with the waistband of his trousers. With a mischievous expression, Loki shed them and his undergarments before rolling her onto her back. Georgiana looked up at him with trusting, loving eyes.

 

“I promise I’ll be gentle,” Loki murmured, before diving for her mouth again, at the same time pressing up against her, lining himself with her entrance. Georgiana made a soft moan into his mouth and spread her legs further. She was wet already, Loki noticed.

 

In one slow, but fluid movement, he slipped inside her and her eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Are you alright?” Loki whispered. “Is that uncomfortable?”

 

“No,” Georgiana breathed back, shaking her head, her expression a mixture of awe and anticipation. “I just didn’t know it could feel like this.”

 

Wrapping her in a close embrace, Loki began to move and Georgiana clung tightly to him, as if he were her lifeline, meeting his movements with a steady rhythm of her own, both sighing and gasping as the pleasure took hold of them. If this, Georgiana thought to herself, was what it felt like to be loved, then she truly wanted no other man to love her other than Loki until the day she died.

 

“Loki!” she found herself gasping as she finally came undone, such pleasure, such passion of an unbelievable nature washing over her, exploding like colliding stars, and Loki buckled slightly upon hearing that, closely following her undoing a second later with his own, and a soft whisper of “Oh, Georgiana,” before collapsing on top of her.

 

For a second they just lay catching their breath, and then Loki slowly withdrew from her, rolled over and pulled her against him. Georgiana cuddled close to him, burying her face in his chest and feeling his heart racing like her own. Then, to her surprise, the blankets suddenly melted away beneath them only to float over them a second later. She glanced up at Loki with a frown and he grinned at her. “Magic, my love, remember?”

 

Georgiana beamed at him. “Right. I’m going to have to get used to that.” Then, resuming her original position, she added “My love. I like it when you call me that.”

 

Loki smiled and hugged her tighter. “Just so you know I plan on telling you that I love you every single day for the rest of our lives.”

 

Georgiana looked up at him in pure adoration, her heart melting. “Loki...” Unable to think how to finish, she smiled, shyly. “How do you manage to be so romantic without even trying?”

 

Loki brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. “Amongst the people of Asgard, I’m known for being mischievous, and for being a very skilled liar. But I give you my word that I will always tell you the truth. Always.”

 

Georgiana leaned up and kissed him, feeling her eyes flutter shut but not from passion. She quickly pulled away to stifle a yawn and Loki chuckled, lightly. “Sleep, my love. We have the rest of our lives for that.”

 

“I hope so,” Georgiana smiled, sleepily, and then kissed him once more before snuggling against him and closing her eyes.

 

“I love you, Georgiana,” Loki whispered, magicking the torches out so they were left in complete darkness.

 

“I love you too, Loki,” Georgiana murmured before sleep caught up with them both and stayed with them until morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive my poor attempts at writing smut!
> 
> Georgiana's wedding dress is based on this one: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vROpq1jXPKY/URG73MpXZvI/AAAAAAAAAdU/CqhbXCo7qwM/s1600/1.jpg


	3. Not A Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Georgiana enjoy the morning after their wedding...

Loki awoke to blinding sunlight filtering through a small gap in the drapes and the feeling of someone pressed up against him. Remembering everything that had happened the day before, he pressed a soft kiss to the crown of Georgiana’s head and she made a small “Mm” of contentment in her sleep but didn’t stir. Reluctantly, Loki sat up slightly, shifting her ever so gently so that he could slid her off him without waking her and rolled out of bed. Automatically he reached for his trousers, and then thought to himself ‘Why bother?’ After all, he was planning on getting back in the bed once he had relieved himself of all he had drunk the night before, and it wasn’t like he needed to hide anything from Georgiana now that they were married. Dropping them back to the floor, he got to his feet, turned and smiled fondly at the still sleeping form of his wife – his _wife,_ he still couldn’t quite believe it – and then stumbled drowsily into the bathroom.

 

When he got back, he found that Georgiana had woken up and was frowning as she rubbed her eyes awake, seeming confused. Then her eyes found him and she smiled, sleepily, in what looked like relief.

 

“Thought for a second you’d abandoned me,” she confessed as he sat down next to her.

 

“That’s never going to happen,” Loki promised, brushing her hair out of her eyes for her.

 

Georgiana smiled at him, in an embarrassed kind of way, dropping her eyes to her knees for a second and then looking back up at him again. “So...what are we doing today?”

 

“Whatever _you_ want to do,” Loki replied, dropping his hand from her face and squeezing her fingers gently. “You’re a Princess of Asgard now, Georgiana; we can do whatever we like, as long as it’s nothing illegal,” he added, raising a teasing eyebrow at her and causing her to laugh, lightly.

 

Sobering up, Georgiana confessed “Well...I don’t actually want to get up just yet.”

 

“Then let’s not,” Loki replied. “Let us stay in bed together, the whole day if you wish it.”

 

Georgiana giggled. “Well, maybe not that long, but...maybe the whole morning? Just you and me?”

 

Loki smiled at her. “That sounds perfect to me.” Then, bringing his face close to hers, ready to kiss her, he added “Have I told you I love you yet today?”

 

“No, not yet,” Georgiana murmured, tilting her head back, her lips upturned to meet his when they came.

 

“Well-”

 

“Oh, Loki, just kiss me!” Georgiana whispered, sounding slightly frustrated as she flung her arms around his neck and finally closed the space between their lips. Loki complied, wrapping his arms about her and as Georgiana lay back, pulling him down on top of her, he quickly magicked the sheet between them to the floor and pressed close against her.

 

“We’re turning into the demanding wife already, are we?” he teased between kisses. “I gave you at least ten years before that happened.”

 

“Well, when you’re so good at kissing, how can you expect me not to crave it every single second of the day?” Georgiana murmured back.

 

Loki chuckled, finally breaking the kiss for a second, causing Georgiana to let out an overly exaggerated sigh of frustration that he knew she wasn’t serious about. “You are wonderful,” he told her, looking straight into her eyes and meaning every single word. “Truly wonderful.”

 

Georgiana blushed, although she tried to look and sound stern as she replied “If you think flattery is a good way of getting me to-” and then Loki cut her off with another kiss. “Oh, Loki,” she murmured with a sigh, allowing him to slide between her legs.

 

Loki smiled down at her. “I love you, Georgiana. And now that that’s out of the way...”

 

He caught hold of her and rolled over, pulling her on top of him. Georgiana let out a startled laugh followed by an “I love you too!” and sat up, beaming down at him.

 

“What do you say we have some food brought here?” Loki finished, with a grin.

 

Georgiana smiled and nodded. “I think I’m hungry for some food right now.”

 

Loki raised his eyebrows. “Are you ever hungry for anything else?”

 

She gave him a mischievous look. “I’m a little hungry for _you_ right now.” Then, she ducked her head and blushed deeply. “That sounded a lot better in my head somehow.”

 

Loki chuckled and laid his hands on her hips. “Georgiana, it’s fine. You don’t have to feel self-conscious around me.” She met his eyes and smiled. “Besides,” Loki added, giving her a mischievous look of his own, “I’m hungry for you too, you know.”

 

Georgiana laughed. “But I thought you didn’t want to eat me, Loki Odinson. You told me that yourself.”

 

Loki was impressed, he had to admit, by her wit. “Mm,” he agreed, nuzzling her collarbone. “It is hard to resist, though, when you’re so delicious.”

 

As he pressed a kiss to the side of her throat, Georgiana put her hands on his chest and pushed him gently back down again, grinning. “Well, tough; you’re going to have to make do with whatever we’ve got for breakfast instead.”

 

Loki laughed. “Very well, my love, but don’t you dare go covering up that delectable body of yours whilst I’m ordering.”

 

Georgiana giggled again and clambered off him, allowing him to get up, go to the door and summon a servant to bring them some food. It just felt so blissful, Georgiana realised, to be able to relax together like this, to take the day slowly, and she hoped that they might be able to do this more often. Back in Althrop, she had always been expected to rise early, bathe, dress and eat and then spend her days engaged in whatever social activity her parents had scheduled for the day. Sweet as her parents were, she did hate the fact that they had made her days so busy that there had been no room for anything else in her life. Her school days had been very much the same; relaxing and fun were practically forbidden and the majority of days were spent either being educated or else being primped and prepared to be some man’s wife one day. No one, she remembered, had believed her when she had told them that she was to betrothed to a Prince, and a Prince of Asgard at that.

 

_“It’s true,” she insisted one day as she and the other girls of her year stood around in the room they had been sent to, to await their tutor for their Learning to Walk Straight class. A few of the girls had been conversing about expecting one day to snag a Duke or an Earl or a Viscount and she had happened to overhear them cattily remarking that with her posture she wouldn’t be getting married at all, or if she did, then it would be to a peasant or farmer. That remark had, of course, made her straighten up at once, bristling, and her response had been “It may interest you to know that I’ve actually been betrothed since birth to a Prince.”_

_“Of course it is,” one of the mean girls had smirked – her name was Bess Foster- and she was not only a few inches taller than Georgiana, but also extremely pretty, dark with pouty lips and wide eyes, like a doll’s._

_“It is, I tell you,” Georgiana insisted, not caring how pathetic she must sound to be keeping up this argument. After all, she knew the truth. “Prince Loki of Asgard.”_

_“More like Prince Hunchback of Land Where Ladies’ Postures Don’t Matter,” cackled Bess’s friend, Mary Ponsonby, who was pale of pallor, like a Princess in a fairytale, and just as witch-like in manners as Bess, and everyone, well, almost everyone, around them fell about laughing._

_“No,” Georgiana persisted, feeling tears of frustration spring to her eyes. “King Odin’s youngest son; he’s a friend of my Father’s! Loki and I have been betrothed since the day I was born!”_

_“Well, then, in Asgard, they obviously have a lower standard of beauty!” Bess pointed out, prodding Georgiana’s arm. “I suppose Prince Loki likes his girls thin as rakes with no curves and bent spines?”_

_“No!” Georgiana was trying not to start sobbing by this point; she knew that that would only serve to make them laugh harder. “I mean, I don’t know! I haven’t seen him since we were children!”_

_“And that’s why!” Mary cackled, slapping her in the small of her back with the palm of her hand and the girls all went off in peals of laughter again. Well, almost all of the girls. Isolde De Anguish, however, a pretty young girl with blonde hair and fierce green eyes, who was from Irland (a small island off the coast of Asgard) stepped forwards and, to the surprise of everyone, gave Mary a hard push in the shoulders that sent the young girl stumbling backwards into Bess._

_“Yer take that back, Mary Ponsonby!” she snapped in her rugged Irlandic tones and Georgiana blinked through her tears in surprise and admiration for this young girl who had just stepped in to defend her. “I heard yers the other day, sayin’ all how yer’d like ter have golden hair like Georgiana’s, and personally I tink that if I ended up wiv a wife like_ you, _I’d run all the way ter Hel and stay der rather than put up wiv yer spiteful face day after day!”_

_Mary’s smug expression sank like a stone as she straightened up and Bess hopped in to defend her friend with a cry of “How dare you?”_

_“How dare youse two?” Isolde countered, fiercely as her eyes flashed the colour of emeralds in her anger. “What gives yer the right ter say such horrible and untrue things about Georgiana? What; cats got yer tongues now, have dey? Eh?” Then, turning to Georgiana, her expression softened and she fished in her pocket for a handkerchief, which she handed to her. “It’s alright, Georgiana, I believe yers.”_

_Georgiana stared as she dabbed at her eyes with the cambric. “You do?”_

_“Of course. Hey, wiv looks like yers, sure it’s no wonder that yer haven’t got all the Princes in the Nine Realms fightin’ over yers,” Isolde insisted, glancing around the group as though daring them to argue with her._

_That was when their tutor had come in and Georgiana had been able to pull herself together in time to start learning how to improve her posture. After their class was over, and everyone, including Bess and Mary, left, complaining that their backs were aching from all that walking straight with rods strapped to them, Georgiana was able to collar Isolde as they left._

_“Thank you for standing up for me,” she stammered. To be perfectly honest, she had always felt a little afraid of Isolde, being Irlandic and therefore tough by nature, as well as being two years her senior and having been held back for fighting with the other girls two years running, but she had been so surprised by her kindness today that she had forgotten to feel afraid._

_“That’s alright,” Isolde replied, glancing warily in the direction of Bess and Mary, still complaining about their spines. “Yer shouldn’t let them get ter yers. They’re just horrible girls.” Then, seeing Georgiana still looked a little down, she added brightly, “So, yer betrothed to a Prince?” Georgiana nodded.” Ah, yer dead lucky there, ‘cause yer know yer’ll be looked after then. I’ve got no idea who I’ll end up bein’ married off ter someday. Knowin’ my luck it’ll be a wrong ‘un who’ll turn to drink. So, what’s he like, your betrothed?”_

_“I don’t actually know,” Georgiana confessed, falling into step beside her. “I mean, I haven’t seen him since I was almost a year old, but from what Mama’s told me, he’s going to be very handsome when he’s older and he’s always been very protective of me, and gentle.”_

_“Well, that’s good,” Isolde replied, comfortingly, and from then on Georgiana hadn’t felt quite so alone at school. They had become good friends and upon parting promised that someday they would meet up again, but then there had been troubles in Irland, and soon that promise had been not quite forgotten but not quite kept either._

Now in the present, Georgiana found herself wondering where Isolde was now, whether she had married or not, and whether now, being a Princess of Asgard, she could find out. After all, Odin would surely have some way of finding out about the status of the troubles in Irland, given his status as King of Asgard and political ruler. But then, she reflected, as Loki settled himself down beside her, there would be plenty of time for that later. Right now, all she wanted to do was spend the first day of her married life with her husband, the man she loved. Oh, if she had had any doubts before, she knew that they were all swept aside like autumn leaves by now. She did love Loki, so much, and she knew it know; she knew that she would give up her life for him in a heartbeat, no backward glances or second thoughts, and that he would do the same for her, no question. At first she had wondered how it could be, how she could have fallen so truly, hopelessly, deeply in love with her betrothed so quickly, but whether it was to do with magic or not, she just knew that it was the kind of love that was born to last a lifetime.

 

“What are you thinking about?” Loki asked, presently, pulling her close and nuzzling her hairline.

 

Georgiana smiled and cuddled closer in his arms. “You and me,” she replied, her voice soft, slow and relaxed. “I mean I’m still reeling from all this. I keep thinking it’s all some wonderful dream and that any second I’m going to wake up.”

 

Thoughtfully, Loki ran a hand down her back, and then, to her surprise, softly pinched her side. It didn’t hurt, but the suddenness of it startled her and Georgiana shot her head up at once with a small, startled cry.

 

“What was that for?” she asked, indignantly.

 

“I was proving to you that you’re already awake,” Loki replied. Georgiana let out an indignant sound and swatted at him. Loki allowed her to do so and then caught hold of her hand, pressing kisses to her fingers. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you, Georgiana. I’d never do that to you.”

 

A smile crept up her face. “I believe you.”

 

There came a knock at the door and Loki sighed, but reluctantly clambered off the bed, thinking to magic the covers back over his wife – after all why should any of the servants be allowed to lay eyes on her body and then report back to their gossipy fellows that they had seen the Princess undressed? – and pull his trousers on before receiving the man. Georgiana quickly pulled the sheets up around her as the nervous-looking servant pulled in a cart with their breakfast on it, and she smiled, gratefully, at him and thanked him quietly and politely, causing the man to bow to her before he scurried out again.

 

“This looks delicious,” she smiled, reaching for a plate.

 

Loki smiled at her as he clambered back beside her again. Neither of them could think of a more perfect way to start this journey they were about to undertake together, the journey into married life, a journey they had been prepared for their entire lives, than to sit together like this, away from the prying eyes of everyone else who could somehow see how deeply in love they were with one another, talking and eating and just enjoying being together...as well as a few more rounds of passionate love-making, the latter of which being devoted mainly to exploring one another’s hot-spots and secret desires. All too quickly, though, the morning was over and they both admitted that it would probably worry more than a few people if they didn’t put in an appearance outside of the bedroom at some point today, so they both got up and decided to bathe together.

 

In the end, however, not much actual bathing was done, but they eventually emerged from the bathroom together and dressed themselves before finally emerging from their room hand in hand.

 

“Finally!” came Thor’s voice as they reached the courtyard of the Palace, where he, Sif and the Warriors Three were training. Loki glanced at him with a frown and Thor raised his eyebrows, arms folded. “I thought you might be ill or something at first when you didn’t show up; now I see I was wrong!”

 

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Loki commented, drily.

 

“It’s alright, Loki,” Fandral called from over by the archery target, where he was having trouble yanking out an arrow that had gone in too deep, courtesy of Hogun. “Thor’s just annoyed because Sif beat him at knife throwing only because _you_ weren’t around!”

 

“We can see you had something better to do!” Volstagg added, and then ducked as Sif threw her sword at him and it embedded itself in the training dummy he was standing in front of. “Hey!” he yelled.

 

“Men,” Sif muttered, rolling her eyes, before turning to Georgiana. “Useful tip; learn to use a weapon, that way you can control them.”

 

“I’ll remember that,” Georgiana replied, slipping her arm through Loki’s.

 

“Why are you practising now anyway?” Loki asked Thor. “We’re not at war, are we?”

 

“Maybe.” Everyone glanced over at Hogun. As usual his voice was flat and what he had to say was far from cheerful. “There are rumours flying around about Svartálfaheimr. They’re saying that Malekith has awoken from the sleep that Bor put him in thousands and thousands of years ago.”

 

“That’s nonsense, Hogun,” Thor insisted. “If there are rumours, then that is all they are, rumours.”

 

Hogun shrugged. “Perhaps, but I know that there are troubles in Vanaheimr, and those, my friend, are not just rumours, but facts. We should all be prepared for a storm.”

 

“Why is it,” Fandral asked, finally yanking the arrow loose and almost elbowing Volstagg in the nose in the process (Loki noted that at any other time, they would have all burst out laughing at that) “that whenever you choose to speak, it always has to be something dark and ominous?”

 

Georgiana smiled, uncertainly, at that as Hogun shrugged again. “I am simply stating the facts.”

 

“It won’t come to war,” Sif insisted. “They’d have to be mad.”

 

Even so, Loki felt a tingle of fear run through him. He had, of course, known that there were troubles in certain parts of the Nine Realms but he had never imagined that in their lifetime they would see a war, a battle, perhaps, but not a full-scale war. And surely it couldn’t happen now, not now.

 

“She’s right,” he murmured to Georgiana after they had finally left Thor and the others to it and made their way back into the palace. “It wouldn’t come to war. A battle, perhaps, but not one large enough to tear the Realms apart.”

 

Georgiana shuddered and tightened her grip on his arm. “What if it did? Would you have to fight?”

 

“Yes,” Loki replied. “We’d all have to; Thor, Father, me, and all other able bodied men, and Sif of course.” He glanced at the worried expression on her face. “It won’t come to war,” he insisted.

 

“You don’t know that,” Georgiana replied, worries seizing her. “I don’t want to...I can’t lose you.”

 

Loki stopped and placed his hands on her arms. He could see that she was really frightened by Hogun’s suggestion that war was imminent. “You wouldn’t,” he insisted. “I’m more than capable of holding my own in battle, plus I have magic and Thor, and Father, on my side. If it did come to war, then Asgard would win, no question about it.” Georgiana didn’t quite look like she believed him. “Oh, come here,” Loki murmured, pulling her close and she clung to him tightly, as if they were on the battlefield that second. “Georgiana...I will always come back to you. I promise.”

 

Georgiana finally nodded and then, extracting herself from him to look up into his eyes, managed a half-smile. “I suppose if they’re only rumours...”

 

Loki nodded. “It’ll all be fine. As Fandral said, Hogun always says things like that, dark and ominous.”

 

Georgiana giggled, in spite of herself. “Right.”

 

“Come on.” Loki took her hand. “Let’s not think about something so depressing on a day like today.”

 

“No, let’s not,” Georgiana agreed, lacing her fingers through his. “This day’s just about you and me, and I would love for you to show me the library properly. I didn’t really see it properly the day before yesterday.”

 

“Nothing would give me greater pleasure, my love,” Loki replied, with a grin, brushing the back of her hand with a kiss.


	4. Dark Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> War hits and Loki has to join Thor and Odin in battle, but Georgiana prays he'll return to her alive...

In the space of three days, Georgiana quickly got to know her way around the Palace, as well as the people who lived within it. Servants usually flitted around, passing her by in corridors or in the gardens and usually gave her a bow of curtsey of acknowledgement and a greeting of “Your Highness” or “My Lady,” and though she hadn’t gotten to know them all by name yet, she was beginning to be able to recognise them by sight, and they all came across as being faithful and respectful, even showing willingness and pride in working for the Royal Family.

 

Of course she couldn’t blame them for that. Odin was a fair and just ruler, and though there were still traces of the ancient battle warrior in him for all to see, he also proved to be a wise and caring King, husband and Father. As such, Frigga was the perfect Queen, wife and Mother; patient and though always ready to challenge her husband on small matters, also trusting and ready to acknowledge and stand by his decisions for Asgard and their subjects. Georgiana learned that it was from her that Loki had inherited his talents for magic, and that Frigga was also a devoted healer. Whenever anyone was ill or sent to the Healing Room for any reason, Frigga was always there, and even if she didn’t physically get involved in the healing process herself, she was there with a kind word of comfort and the bedside manner of a loving Mother. As to Thor, in many ways he came across as Loki’s opposite; the brawn of the team as opposed to the brains. Ambitious and like a younger version of his father when it came to training for battle, headstrong and with a knack for sometimes acting without thinking, he might easily be mistaken at first glance for a shallow big-head, but Georgiana learned very quickly onwards that he was also kind and something of a charmer when it came to women. She supposed it was inevitable, really, being brought up in such a loving environment, and in turn she quickly came to love them all as if they were her own blood.

 

But none she loved more than Loki.

 

It quickly became apparent to the whole of Asgard that the young Prince and Princess were deeply in love with one another, devoted, even. Not that the young Prince and Princess did anything to hide it. After what Loki had told her on their wedding day, that there was no reason for them to feel shame in expressing their feelings for one another in front of others, Georgiana had decided that he was right. Had they been still courting, she might have had other reservations, but now they were married, why should it be such a scandalous thing to show affection to the man she loved. But seeing Frigga lovingly peck Odin’s cheek one day after breakfast, in front of her two sons, her daughter-in-law and a great many servants, and seeing Odin accept it without protest, was the final push she needed to stop feeling awkward about such public displays of affection.

 

They would spend as much time in the day together as possible; Loki always lingering for as long as he could get away with it for before finally allowing himself to be dragged from her side and to some royal duty or other. Thor teased him from time to time after seeing his reluctance to let go of Georgiana’s hand and leave her to attend a council Odin was holding, at which he wanted them both present –and duly received a thumping for his ribbing, along with a demand that he shut up and a remark that the day _he_ fell in love with someone, _he_ would understand. In those hours when Loki was far from her, Georgiana entertained herself by either wandering the palace, walking in the grounds, spending time with Frigga or else busying herself with a book in the library. By nightfall they would always be back together, snuggled under the sheets, and if they couldn’t sleep, they would just talk. Loki was so incredibly easy to talk to, she found, and he never did anything to make her feel like a fool if she did say something daft. He might tease her, fondly, sometimes, but she knew that he didn’t mean any injury and she felt safe telling him what was on her mind whenever he asked.

 

“Loki?” she murmured, one evening, cuddled up close in his arms and just enjoying the feeling of being so close to him. “I know it’s early to even be thinking about this...but...do you want children someday? I mean, not now, but maybe in the future?”

 

Loki buried his face in the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair. It smelt of cinnamon, the soap she had used that morning to wash it with, aromatic and deep, like the scent of Valhalla. “Yes, I think I would. With you.”

 

Georgiana smiled and closed her eyes. “I just had to ask. I mean, in case I suddenly got pregnant and you weren’t expecting it. I wouldn’t want you to not be excited.”

 

Loki smiled and kissed the crown of her head. “Trust me, Georgiana, I would be.” Then, bringing his face down level with hers, he added, in a soft murmur, “I love you,” before pressing his lips to hers. Georgiana slipped her arms around him and as Loki rolled her onto her back, she murmured “And I love you too.” Then, as he pulled away from her, she giggled.

 

“What?” Loki asked, with a grin.

 

“I just never knew I could love someone so much,” Georgiana replied, and then she lifted herself up off the mattress to hug him. “Thank you for falling in love with me, Loki. I never dreamed I could be this happy.”

 

Folding his arms about her, Loki hugged her as tightly as he dared without hurting her. “Well, I couldn’t help myself,” he confessed, with a grin. “You were just so adorable back then.”

 

Georgiana giggled and then held him at arm’s length to look up at him. “Do you really believe we fell in love with each other back then?”

 

“I don’t actually know,” Loki replied, truthfully. “I mean, we didn’t really know what love was back then. But either way, I think it was inevitable that we’d end up falling for each other years later.”

 

Georgiana nodded, thoughtfully. “Well, you are very easy to love.”

 

“Am I?” Loki gave her a mischievous look. “Try telling that to Thor.”

 

Georgiana laughed. “That’s only because you’re not afraid to put him in his place when he annoys you.”

 

“That’s one way of looking at it,” Loki replied. “Others just call it plain mischief.” Georgiana laughed again, and he revelled in the sound; she had such a beautiful laugh and knowing that he was the source of it at that moment filled him with a sense of pride. Then, as they finally snuggled down to sleep, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and whispered “Thank you for falling in love with me, Georgiana.”

 

“Mm, you’re welcome, Loki,” Georgiana murmured, closing her eyes.

 

But as with any paradise, there were always serpents. And serpents could come in all shapes and sizes, in physical form or merely in the shape of bad events that could turn a kingdom upside down.

 

The first serpent that Loki and Georgiana encountered in their marriage belonged to the latter group.

 

They were lying side by side on the floor of the library, both lost in a great tome about Midgard, and talking in hushed voices, as if they were children discovering a great secret together, when it happened. The door suddenly burst open and Thor strode in.

 

“Intrude, why don’t you?” Loki muttered, getting to his knees, and then, seeing the expression on his brother’s face, his own expression became serious. “What is it?”

 

Thor looked grave as he gave them the news. “War.”

 

Georgiana felt her breath catch in her throat. “Vanaheimr?”

 

“I’m afraid so,” Thor answered her with a nod before turning back to Loki, who was already on his feet. “Every able bodied man is needed.”

 

“Yes, of course,” Loki agreed, unable to believe this was happening. His heart was racing. Battles were one thing; he had been in his fair share of them alongside Thor and Odin before now, but a full-scale war was another completely. He had heard of war before where whole sides had been wiped out by the opposition, never to return home to their loved one again, left to die on the battlefield instead of being given the rites to go to Valhalla. If he, his brother and their Father went into this, there was less chance of them coming out alive than there was of them meeting their deaths. Still, he tried to sound strong and brave, for Georgiana’s sake. “When do we move out?”

 

“First light,” Thor replied. “Father wants us both in the courtroom now.”

 

Georgiana was on her feet and as she took Loki’s hand, worriedly, he turned to her and cupped her face with one hand. “Georgiana...” He couldn’t think of anything to say to her other than “It _will_ be alright.”

 

Georgiana nodded, firmly, although she looked like she wanted to cry, but she managed not to, receiving his gentle kiss to her forehead with a soft exhaling of breath. The second they were out of the room, she waited until she was sure that their footsteps had died away and then all but raced towards their room. Flinging the door open, she tumbled down onto the bed, not in tears, but with worry and fear creeping over her like the Plague.

 

War. War, Thor had said.

 

And wars meant death.

 

And Loki was about to fight in a war.

 

There was no holding back the tears now as she rolled onto her back, digging her fingers into the sheets and twisted them so tightly they almost ripped. “This isn’t fair,” she said, aloud, to whatever Gods there were listening. She and Loki had barely been married a week and now there was a chance that he would be taken away from her, forever. How could it be fair if that happened, after knowing each other briefly in childhood, and then not seeing one another again for another nineteen years before finally marrying? How could it be right?

 

When her tears had finally subsided, she sat up, relinquishing the sheets and smoothing them under her hands, thinking about the few times, how few they were so far, that she and Loki had made more than a little love in between them. A sudden thought struck her and she quickly began to tidy the bed, making the sheets neat and then, pulling open her drawer, she began to search through her clothes until she found what she was looking for.

 

XXX

 

Loki didn’t mind admitting that he was scared, more than scared, of going into battle, and that he was terrified of getting involved in a full-scale war. From the sound of it, it was going to be the most brutal thing anyone in Asgard had ever been involved in. But he had to remain strong for Georgiana. She was going to be upset about this as it was, the thought of him going into war; it was his job to convince her that everything was going to be alright, even if it wasn’t in the end.

 

Opening the door of their room, he was about to say something to her, but he was brought up short by the sight of her. With her hair down in loose curls and dressed in nothing but a summer nightdress, white and sleeveless with a skirt brushing her knees, her feet bare, she looked absolutely beautiful. When she got to her feet, he noted that there was the faint scent of rose petals clinging to her.

 

“If my husband’s going to war tomorrow, I want him to have a night with me to remember,” she said, her voice slightly shaky.

 

Loki managed a smile as he walked up to her and took her hands. “You look beautiful,” he whispered, kissing her. Suddenly there was no need for anything else, words of comfort, or tears, anything, suddenly they didn’t need those to communicate what they were feeling. Loki picked her up and as Georgiana wrapped her legs around his waist, he carried her over to the bed and lay them both upon it.

 

“Take this with you,” Georgiana whispered, pressing her body closer to his, willing him to make love to her, “into battle.”

 

“I will, my love,” Loki promised.

 

XXX

 

Parting the next morning was hard. Georgiana walked at Loki’s side, her hand in his, towards the courtyard, where the soldiers and peasants alike who were able bodied awaited on horseback for the orders to move out. There must have been thousands of them, she thought, thousands of men, and Sif too, strong warriors, all lines up to defend their kingdom. She felt her heart clench with both sorrow and pride.

 

Frigga was there too, to see them all off, and as Loki reached her, she folded him in a tight hug, blinking back her own tears. “Come back to us,” she whispered, before releasing him and turning to do the same to Thor and Odin.

 

Georgiana flung her arms around Loki’s neck and clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder and praying that it wouldn’t be the last time she ever did so. “I love you,” she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. “So much.”

 

“I love you too,” Loki whispered back, his own voice cracking with emotion at how strong she was being. Running his hands through her hair, he added, softly, “Remember what I told you before? I will always come back to you. I promise.”

 

Georgiana nodded and as she finally released him he saw that her eyes were swimming with tears. “Good luck,” she whispered, and then she reached up and kissed him. Loki made it last for as long as possible before they finally had to part. He could feel it physically tearing him apart inside as he pulled himself up into the saddle, and, as Odin gave the command for them to leave, offered her one last sad smile before turning his horse in the right direction.

 

As Thor rode up beside him, Loki muttered, without glancing at him, his voice coming out thick with emotion, “Shut up.”

 

“I didn’t say anything,” Thor pointed out.

 

“Well, before you do,” Loki replied, before pretending that the wind had blown dust into his eyes and rubbing them fiercely. To his surprise, though, Thor didn’t mock, merely reached over and patted his shoulder. Loki glanced up at his brother, who offered him a hopeful look.

 

“You’ll see her again, Loki,” Thor insisted. “This isn’t goodbye forever.”

 

Loki sighed and glanced back towards the Palace. “I hope you’re right.”

 

Watching them leave, Georgiana felt her heart clench, and she felt a childish desire to run after them, beg them not to leave, but she was able to quash it down. Then, Frigga slipped a hand into hers and squeezed it. Looking up at her, Georgiana realised that the Queen looked exactly the way _she_ was feeling inside.

 

“We must be strong for them, Georgiana,” Frigga told her, leading the way back into the Palace. “They wouldn’t want us to cry for them, not yet anyway. And there is always Hope.”

 

Georgiana nodded, slowly. “I just never thought we’d be parted so soon, that’s all, Frigga. I mean, we’ve only been married a few days.” She took a deep breath, pushing down all the tears that she wanted to cry but suddenly couldn’t bring herself to. “I just love him so much.”

 

“I know,” Frigga murmured, comfortingly. “As I love Odin. But they will come back to us, Georgiana. They are all trained warriors, perfectly capable of holding their own on the battlefield. They will return to us at least in one piece.”

 

XXX

 

Georgiana found herself wondering in the future if Frigga had some gift of prophecy alongside her magic and healing skills.

 

Days of waiting for news of the war to end turned to weeks and the weeks began to turn into months, and Georgiana busied herself in not thinking about her husband being wounded on the battlefield by assisting Frigga in her duties, helping to heal the sick and visiting those in the village whose fathers and husbands and brothers and sons had also gone to fight in the war and offering them comfort. The people quickly came to love her and she them, yet every night when she went to bed she prayed to the Gods, and the Norns, and the Fates, and every other power that existed, that Loki would come back to her.

 

And then one day her wish was granted.

 

She and Frigga were in Frigga’s private chamber, Frigga sewing and Georgiana reading, although neither of them were particularly concentrating on what they were doing, when the doors burst open and a Royal Page scurried in, waving a piece of parchment excitedly in one hand.

 

“Forgive my intrusion, Your Majesty!” he gabbled. “But I bring news from the warfront! It’s all over! Asgard stands victorious! And the King and Princes will be home within two days!”

 

Frigga sprang to her feet at once, beaming in relief. “Praise be!”

 

Georgiana got up too. “Are they alright? Are they hurt?”

 

“I’m afraid don’t know, Your Highness,” the Page apologized. “I haven’t received details.”

 

“That’s alright,” Frigga smiled, warmly, taking Georgiana’s hand. “You may leave us.”

 

Georgiana felt slightly giddy and had to sit down again. Loki was alive. Regardless of whether he was injured or not, that was all that mattered, she told herself. She looked up at Frigga and managed a smile. “He is coming back to me. Just like he promised.”

 

XXX

 

The months during the war had dragged, but the two days awaiting the arrival of the King and Princes of Asgard simply flew by. Towards the end of the second afternoon, Georgiana found herself pacing the top step of the Palace, keeping an eye on the horizon, and wringing her hands, praying that they would appear on their horses at any moment, looking none the worse for wear. When they finally did, she wanted to shout out, cry and laugh all at the same time, but in the end, as they came into sight, she simply hurried down the steps and flew towards them. Behind her, she heard Frigga and the servants enter the courtyard, but she didn’t look back, simply forwards as Loki finally threw down the reins and leapt from his horse’s back, and Georgiana threw herself into his arms.

 

Automatically, Loki gasped in pain. “Ow!” he groaned, quickly extracting himself from her embrace and taking a deep breath through the pain.

 

“Oh, Gods, I’m so sorry!” Georgiana exclaimed, throwing a hand over her mouth.

 

“It’s alright, I’m fine.” Carefully, Loki folded his arms around her and held her. Gently, Georgiana moved closer to him and closed her eyes. “You got hurt,” she murmured, sorrowfully.

 

“Hurt?” Thor had finally pulled himself free of his Mother’s arms long enough to come up to them. “He took more than a few beatings to save others. At one point, I thought-”

 

“Thor, please,” Loki interjected, as Georgiana stared at him in shock. “She doesn’t need to know the details.” Then, before Georgiana could protest, he kissed her and she forgot what she’d been about to say, losing herself in kissing him back, unable to believe that it had been so long since she had last done it. “I missed you,” Loki whispered.

 

“I missed you too,” Georgiana whispered back.

 

Then Frigga came up and Loki couldn’t help wincing again as she embraced him and whispered “Welcome home, son.” Georgiana bit her lip and then took his hand. “Come on,” she murmured, and then pulled him in the direction of the Healing Room. Loki didn’t protest; to be perfectly honest he wasn’t entirely sure that the surgeon they had had on the battlefield really knew what he was doing and he would trust Asgard’s healers more than that man to heal his injuries.

 

“It’s mainly just bruises,” he told her as she finally pulled him into the room and pushed him in the direction of one of the tables.

 

“Let me see,” Georgiana insisted, busying herself with the medical supplies.

 

Loki gave her a look. “It’ll shock you.”

 

Georgiana raised her eyebrows. “I don’t care.”

 

With a shrug, Loki removed his armour, although it was painful to do so and Georgiana quickly helped him as he finally eased his tunic and shirt to the floor and she bit back a gasp. His entire torso was covered in bruises, purple, black and red against his pale skin, apart from a few places that were scratched and a deep gash in his side, which looked to have been bandaged rather clumsily.

 

“Flying sword,” Loki muttered by way of explanation to her. “Don’t ask.”

 

“It needs stitching,” Georgiana said, turning to find the antiseptic and a clean cloth. “It’s going to sting, but not for long.”

 

Loki glanced at her. “You’re going to do it yourself?”

 

Georgiana managed a smile. “School wasn’t just learning to walk straight and being taught how to read and write for me, Loki. I took a course in basic first aid.”

 

Loki looked impressed as he lay down on the cool surface of the medical table, and then wince again as Georgiana peeled back the bandage back where it had stuck to the dried blood. She tried not to shudder, not at the sight of the gash, but at how deep it was and at how brave Loki must have been to have fought on even with a wound like this. “I’m sorry you got hurt,” she murmured.

 

Loki tried to smile. “I’ve been in worse pain than this, Georgiana. I mean, I can’t think when right now, but...”

 

She managed a small laugh and then set about with the antiseptic. Loki gritted his teeth against the pain, determined not to make a noise. If she noticed how much pain he was in, she would delay and this needed sorting out now. “Have you done this before?” he asked as she threaded the needle.

 

Georgiana nodded, and then couldn’t help asking, mischievously, “You trust me, don’t you?”

 

Loki smiled. “More than anyone else in the Nine Realms.”

 

Even so, Georgiana said nothing as she stitched the wound, concentrating carefully so as to make sure it was done properly. Loki waited and watched in silence and stifled pain until she had finished, and then said, in a slightly pained tone, “There’s a lotion in that silver pot there, that helps wounds like this to heal faster.”

 

“This one?” Georgiana asked, picking up the tiny pot.

 

“That’s the one,” Loki nodded, and then bit back a gasp at the iciness of it as she applied it to the wound. Usually the cold didn’t bother him that much, but against an open wound like this, it ached. Georgiana quickly applied a clean dressing and he breathed out slowly, not letting her know that the stuff was stinging. Anyway, it was a good thing, the sting, because it meant it was working.

 

“Is that all?” Georgiana asked, hoping that he wasn’t wounded anywhere else.

 

“Yes,” Loki answered, clambering off the table and reaching for his shirt. Georgiana quickly held it out to him, wanting badly to hug him, but knowing that it would just hurt him, resisted the urge to do so. Loki smiled as he took his shirt from her and quickly pulled it over his head. “Just don’t hug me too tightly until I heal fully, that’s all.”

 

Georgiana nodded, and then, stepping up to him, cupped his face and kissed him again. Loki gave in, not caring about the pain, as he pulled her into his arms. Georgiana glanced at him. “Am I not hurting you?”

 

“It doesn’t matter,” Loki replied. “This I can take. Not kissing you right now, however, well, that’s a different matter.”

 

Georgiana kissed him again, clinging to him. Now she had assured herself that he was back to her in one piece, she could start to feel happy again. “I love you, Loki,” she whispered, between kisses.

 

“I love you too, Georgiana,” Loki replied, before pulling her close and burying his face in her hair. “In fact, I think that’s what won us the war. Each time I was fighting, I thought about you and the fact that I had to come back to you because I didn’t want to leave you alone, so I kept fighting no matter how much pain I was in. And I think that’s what won us the war, because I didn’t give up, and that gave everyone else something to fight for too.”

 

Georgiana smiled into his shoulder. “I prayed every day that you’d come back to me alive.”

 

“Is everything alright?” That was Frigga, hurrying into their area of the room after helping to tend to some of the other badly wounded soldiers; thankfully Odin and Thor weren’t among them.

 

“Fine,” Loki answered, not letting go of Georgiana just yet, and then he grinned at his mother over the top of her head. “You made a good choice for me after all.”

 

Georgiana giggled, in spite of herself, and then looked up at him. “I was also told to advise patients in your condition to get plenty of bed-rest, my Prince, so come on.”

 

Frigga smiled as Loki once again allowed himself to be led off. “Yes,” she murmured to herself, “we did make a good match there.”


	5. Bed-Rest, Interrupted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Georgiana try to relax but someone interrupts them...again!

Bed-rest was all very well and good, but three whole days of it later and Loki felt like he might go mad. Understandable as it was that Georgiana wanted him to heal properly after the war, he did wish that she wouldn’t fuss as much over him as she was doing. It made him wonder what she would be like as a mother to their children, if and when that happened, if she was the kind of wife who worried over her husband so much. Then again, he reminded himself, it had been the first time they had been torn apart from one another since being married, so he supposed he couldn’t blame her for her reactions.

 

Even so...

 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Georgiana asked, not even looking up from her book as she felt the mattress shift beneath her. It wasn’t the first time since her recommendation, or to use a more appropriate word, urging of bed-rest that her husband had attempted to leave the room, and she knew that it wasn’t to use the bathroom this time. As she spoke, her hand shot out behind her and caught him by the shoulder of his tunic, pulling him back down again beside her.

 

“Georgiana,” Loki all but whined, praying that she wouldn’t ever let on to Thor just how pathetic he sounded in that moment.

 

 _“You_ need to rest,” Georgiana insisted, finally lowering her book, her chapter finished. “Otherwise those wounds will never heal.”

 

“But it’s so boring,” Loki sighed, closing his eyes. He had tried going to sleep but it hadn’t worked and since the other activity he and Georgiana used their bed largely for was currently out of the question, the only other thing he could do to occupy his mind was read and he had long since finished his book.

 

“Oh!” Georgiana raised her eyebrows and let out a heated exhale of breath as she laid her own book down beside her on the bedside table and sat up straighter, turning to face him indignantly. “I’m boring, am I now, Prince Loki?”

 

His eyes flew open at once. “Now, I never said that!”

 

“You didn’t have to!” Georgiana retorted, rolling onto her knees. “Here I am worried about your health, about your battle wounds not getting infected or becoming worse, and all _you_ can do is accuse me of being boring!”

 

For a second, Loki thought he had genuinely offended her, and he was about to apologise and backtrack with an explanation as to what he had actually meant when he saw the teasing glint in her eyes and relaxed. He sat up, gingerly because he was still sore in a few places, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Georgiana smiled and sat back on her heels. “You could never be boring, my love,” Loki breathed, leaning his forehead against hers. “That’s not what I was implying at all.”

 

“Well, perhaps you need to start thinking before you speak in future, Loki,” Georgiana teased, brushing her lips lightly against his.

 

Loki breathed out and moved his head, kissing her neck. Georgiana felt her eyes flutter shut and she sighed, softly, pressing closer to him. “Am I forgiven?” Loki asked, quietly.

 

“Mm...” Georgiana thought about it. “I suppose so, this once, since you’re injured. Next time I’m really going to make you work for it.”

 

Loki chuckled against her skin and then worked his way up to her mouth. “I’d like to see you try,” he smirked against her lips.

 

“You think I can’t?” Georgiana smirked back, finally reaching up to tangle both hands in his hair.

 

“Oh, I’ve no doubt you can, but I’d like to see it,” Loki murmured back, before sighing softly into her mouth. “Georgiana, I don’t know whether I’ve already told you this or not, but I do love it when you do that.”

 

Georgiana gave a teasing gasp as Loki tugged her down beneath him, wrapped tightly in his embrace. “Dear me, Prince Loki has a fetish, does he?”

 

“Only when you do it,” Loki replied, still kissing her. _“Because_ it’s you doing it.”

 

Both of them had forgotten his injuries, that is, until Georgiana pressed closer to him, accidently catching a few bruises, and Loki broke the kiss with a shudder and a mutter of “Ow!”

 

“Oh, Norns, I’m sorry,” Georgiana whispered, letting go of him.

 

“It’s alright,” Loki sighed, the pain leaving him, and then, hoping that she didn’t think he was sighing because of her, blaming her for his hurt, he looked straight into her eyes and added “It’s not your fault.”

 

Georgiana exhaled and scrambled out from underneath him. “See, this is exactly _why_ you need to rest. So that we _can_ hold one another without you being in pain.” Her tone was firm and motherly, but her eyes looked worried as she blinked at him. “I don’t like seeing you hurt.”

 

Loki lay down on his side and caught hold of her hand, pulling her down beside him. “Lie with me, then,” he murmured, wrapping his arms about her again and pulling the sheets up over both of them.

 

Georgiana hesitated and then sighed. “I can’t cuddle up to you. I’ll hurt you.”

 

“No, you won’t,” Loki insisted. “Look, put your head on my shoulder and your arms around mine. I’ll be fine.” Georgiana did as he suggested and found that she was actually quite comfortable like that. “Alright?” Loki murmured, nuzzling her hair.

 

“Alright,” Georgiana whispered back. In the three days since the war had been over, she had firmly refused to leave Loki’s side, wanting to be beside him during this whole healing process. Odin and Frigga and Thor, and even once Sif and the Warriors Three, had popped in to see them, as well as a few of the healers, who acknowledged that Georgiana had done a good job with the stitches and that Loki would indeed heal properly after some bed-rest, but mainly it had been just the two of them in the room together. Had Loki not been injured so badly, she knew that they would be using this time to make up for all the months they had missed because of the war, all the time they could have spent together that had been taken from them. Although, she realised, slowly, there were perhaps a few things they could still do that didn’t involve much movement.

 

“What are you thinking?” Loki murmured, presently.

 

“I’m thinking you should be asleep,” Georgiana replied, prodding his shoulder gently, in a spot she knew not to be sporting bruises.

 

“Can’t,” Loki insisted into her hair. “Too awake.”

 

Georgiana raised her head and gave him a mischievous smile, gently rolling him onto his back. “Well, perhaps _this_ will make you sleepy.”

 

Loki frowned, not entirely sure he liked where this was going, especially when she left the warmth of his arms and began tugging at his trousers. He quickly caught her hands with a quizzical look. “I thought we agreed not to in case it affects the stitches?”

 

Georgiana smiled up at him. “We agreed not to make love, but we didn’t agree that your wife couldn’t make you feel good in other ways.”

 

Loki’s eyes widened at that and by the time his brain caught up with what she actually meant, Georgiana had already removed his trousers and undergarments, discarded them to the floor and ducked between his legs. “Georgiana...” was as far as he got before she did something that drew a moan from him. “Oh...Gods...”

 

Georgiana smiled and continued, sucking him in, taking in the length of him, teasing him gently with her tongue and listening to the gasps and stammers from her husband as her fingers brushed against him. Loki felt another shudder ripple through his body, but this time it was one of pleasure. “Oh, Gods, Georgiana...” he whispered, stumbling over his words. “That...feels amazing...”

 

With a few quick strokes of her fingers and tongue, he felt himself come undone with a gasp of her name. “Where in the whole of the Nine Realms,” he added, pulling her up to his level, his heart racing and the rest of his body tingling, “did you learn to do that?”

 

Georgiana blushed. “In a book I read once. So...it was good?”

 

“Good? Georgiana...I can’t even begin to describe how wonderful that was.” Loki frowned. “Wait; what have you been _reading?”_

 

Georgiana giggled. “Well, I thought it was an ordinary romance novel...but it turns out that the romantic scenes were a bit...raunchier than I was expecting.”

 

“Well, they should really post a warning on books like that,” Loki replied, kissing her. “Can’t have my wife being corrupted by other people’s wicked fantasies.”

 

She laughed again. “But they did teach me a few tricks like that to pleasure my husband.”

 

“I’m flattered,” Loki murmured against her lips, rolling her underneath him again. “But you don’t have to feel the need to do that to please me. Being with you is enough. Although,” he added, thoughtfully, pulling away to look at her a moment, “it isn’t fair for me to get something and you not to.”

 

Georgiana was surprised, she hadn’t been expecting that, although she supposed later that she probably ought to have seen it coming, it was Loki, he wanted to make her feel loved. And, she realised, she was feeling somewhat aroused herself now, so she smiled up at him. “Well, you’re very welcome to give me something in return, my Prince, although that’s not the reason I gave it to you just now, to get something back. I just thought-”

 

“I know,” Loki cut across her, with a smile. “And that was very sweet of you.” He kissed her, murmuring against her lips, “My sweet Georgiana, my little dove.”

 

“Dove?” Georgiana opened her eyes. “I think I like you calling me that, my Prince.”

 

Loki smiled. “It suits you, I think. Soft, pale, pure, just like a dove.”

 

“Mm, you really do have a way with words,” Georgiana murmured as he made his way down between her thighs.

 

“It’s true,” Loki insisted, find that sweet, secret space of her he knew so well by now. Her reaction to his kiss was much the same as his to hers before, with the added involuntary buck of her hips as he tasted her wet softness. He smiled. “You taste like Vallhalla.”

 

Georgiana gave a small gasp, grasping the pillows beneath her head and managed to ask, breathlessly, “How would you know what Vallhalla tastes like, Loki?”

 

“Because you are heavenly, my love, so this must be what heaven tastes like,” Loki answered, before repeating the action that extracted moans and soft gasps of his name over and over again. He went slowly, making her last for as long as possible before he felt her tremble with anticipation and heard her choke out “Loki...I love you so much..!”

 

Then she came undone and it was over in a wash of orgasmic bliss that stunned them both for a moment. “I love you too, Georgiana,” Loki murmured, kissing the insides of her thighs before making his way back to her lips.

 

Georgiana managed a smile. “Even when I make you stay in bed for days on end?”

 

“Mm, I’ve been rethinking my earlier comment and I’ve decided it’s not actually as bad as I originally made it out to be,” Loki replied, mischievously, and Georgiana giggled. “I don’t know what I was ever complaining about,” Loki went on, kissing her neck delicately as she folded her arms around him.

 

The door suddenly burst open as a voice exclaimed “Loki, you won’t believe this-!” and then cut off abruptly as Loki and Georgiana both started and Loki scrabbled at the blanket until he could see who it was who had intruded, although he had guessed already by the way they had flung the door open.

 

“What the Hel, Thor?!” Loki snapped, as Thor quickly turned his back.

 

“Sorry, I didn’t realise you two were...doing that,” Thor apologised, quickly.

 

Blushing, Georgiana scrambled out from beneath Loki and got to her feet, rearranging her dress and hair as Loki quickly pulled his trousers back on and sighed “Well, this _is_ our room! Would it kill you to knock instead of just barging in like a Shire horse all the time?”

 

“Are you going to listen or just insult me?” Thor snapped back, heatedly, before glancing at Georgiana and backtracking. “My apologies, Georgiana, I do seem to keep interrupting you two, don’t I?”

 

“Yes, indeed,” Georgiana replied, accepting his apology, although her cheeks were flushed as she did so. “I’m going to have to start locking that door.”

 

“We should be allowed to keep a door unlocked and not be interrupted all the time,” Loki countered, folding his arms. “Now, what is it?” he asked before Thor could argue. He was actually resisting the urge to hit him; only because he had no desire for Georgiana to witness him really lose his temper. Added to that, Thor would probably hit him back and that would lead to a scuffle and knowing Georgiana she would try and separate them and probably end up getting hurt herself in the process, and then that would put a strain on their love because she wouldn’t want to be near him anymore or else she would stop speaking to him, and rather than risk that happening, Loki decided it would simply be easier to not hit his brother, even though he really wanted to in that moment.

 

Thor sighed and finally faced him. “Well, you know there’ve been the troubles in Irland lately?”

 

“Yes,” Loki sighed, running a hand through his hair.

 

Georgiana’s ears pricked up. “Yes,” she echoed.

 

“Don’t tell me we’re at war with them now too?” Loki added, dropping his hand.

 

“Worse,” Thor replied.

 

Georgiana frowned. “What’s worse than war?”

 

Thor grinned at her. “Oh, I know you won’t think this is worse, Georgiana, because it was alright for you two, but basically,” and here he sighed before going on, “Father and King Anguish of Irland have decided to strengthen the ties between Asgard and Irland by marrying _me_ to the King’s daughter.”

 

Loki blinked at him. “You stormed in here and interrupted our important business to tell us _that?”_

 

“Loki,” Georgiana whispered, in a reprimanding tone, but the way she took his hand indicated that she wasn’t really cross.

 

“Sorry,” Loki added, returning her squeeze, and addressing his brother. “But I am failing to see the downside here.”

 

“Well, of course you are,” Thor retorted, pushing past his brother to sit on the unmade bed. “It’s alright for you two, you loved one another the second you met. But I’ve never even seen this Princess Isolde. I don’t even know what she looks like, let alone whether our marriage can work.”

 

Georgiana felt a sudden rush of déjà-vu. “Wait; Isolde de Anguish, you mean?”

 

“Yes,” Thor confirmed.

 

“You know her?” Loki asked, glancing at his wife.

 

Georgiana nodded, vigorously. “We were in school together! Oh, Thor, you _will_ like her! She’s nice – feisty but kind! And very beautiful! I always wondered what had happened to her!”

 

Thor raised his eyebrows. “Well, she’s coming tomorrow, so you’ll get to find out.”

 

“Tomorrow?” Loki repeated. “Isn’t that a bit too soon?”

 

“Father wants it done as soon as possible,” Thor replied, getting to his feet. “So does Anguish. The sooner the better; otherwise they fear the troubles will only get worse without a strong ally on their side.”

 

“Still,” Loki muttered, shaking his head. “That’s rather fast.”

 

“Now you know why I came barging in here like a Shire horse, as you so eloquently put it,” Thor replied, hotly.

 

“Now, look, I didn’t mean-” Loki began.

 

“I’ll leave you to it,” Thor sighed, pushing past him. “Sorry I didn’t knock.”

 

The door closed and Loki sighed. “Norns, I think I’ve upset him.”

 

“Well, go after him, then,” Georgiana replied, in a knowing tone, giving him a small nudge.

 

Loki glanced at her. “I thought you wanted me resting.”

 

“I do, but I also think you should make it up with your brother and he’s not likely to come back here now,” Georgiana replied, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “Go on. Catch him up and then when you come back here, I’ll be waiting. Maybe I can show you what else that book taught me.”

 

Loki grinned at her. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” he asked, brushing the back of her hand with a kiss before hurrying, as best as his injuries would allow him, after his brother. “Thor,” he called, finally catching up to him, and Thor stopped and spun to face him. “Look, I’m sorry,” Loki apologised. The last thing he needed at a time like this was Thor mad with him. “I didn’t mean to snap at you back there-”

 

“No, you had every right to,” Thor replied, good-naturedly. “I should have knocked, you’re right. I just...can’t quite get used to you being married, I guess, and sharing that room with someone else.”

 

He looked forlorn in that moment, like a neglected animal, and Loki felt sorry for him. “Look, maybe marriage to this Isolde won’t be as bad as you’re worrying it’ll be,” he said, hoping that he sounded encouraging.

 

Thor managed a smile. “That is easy for you to say, though, Loki. As I said-”

 

“No, listen to me, Thor,” Loki insisted. “You remember how nervous I was the day before I married Georgiana? Because I thought that we wouldn’t like each other now? How is that any different to what you’re feeling?”

 

“I suppose you’re right,” Thor agreed, thoughtfully. “I mean, it’s all working out for you two, isn’t it?”

 

Loki nodded. “You know the main reason I was so nervous?” Thor looked surprised and shook his head. “Because I thought Georgiana might fall in love with you instead. I mean, you’re better than me in everything; better-looking, stronger, better at combat, better at...being loved...”

 

Thor put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Don’t sell yourself short, Brother. You’ve always been more intelligent than me, and good at magic, and that’s something. And better at being loved by Georgiana, as you’ve proved.”

 

“Alright, now you sound like an idiot,” Loki grinned. Thor laughed. It was alright. They were friends again. “Trust me,” Loki added, sincerely this time. “All the women of Asgard already love you; why should a Princess of Irland not?”

 

“Thanks, Loki.” Thor pulled his brother into a hug, and though Loki protested on principal, he did his best not to show his pain and quickly returned it before shoving his brother away from him. “Go on, now,” he said, brushing himself off. “Go get yourself ready to meet your Princess tomorrow.”

 

Thor laughed again and gave his brother a playful push before leaving him to it. Loki smiled, rubbing his shoulder where Thor had caught a bruise by accident and then went back to his room. As he pushed open the door, Georgiana quickly tossed her book to one side and reclined on the bed in what she hoped was a seductive pose. “Well?” she asked.

 

Loki smiled at her. “I think he’ll be alright now, dove.” Then, leaning down to kiss her, he added “Now, I believe you were about to show me what else that book had taught you, weren’t you?”

 

“Perhaps I should lend it to Isolde,” Georgiana teased, “just in case she and Thor get bored.”

 

“Absolutely not,” Loki replied, pulling her to him. “I refuse to share you, or anything we do together, with anyone.”


	6. A Little About Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgiana reunites with her old friend Isolde whilst Loki gives Thor a lesson on love...

Georgiana was excited, possibly more so than anyone else in Asgard. After she and Isolde had gone their separate ways after school, they had promised to keep in touch or even meet up sometime in the future, but things had got in the way for both of them and eventually such promises had been forgotten. But today was the day she would see her old friend again.

 

“She’s actually two years older than me,” she explained to Loki, busily fastening her hair up. “But she was in my classes because she was held back; not because she wasn’t intelligent, she was, very, but because she had a bit of a temper and couldn’t always control it. Like if someone was being mean to someone else, she wasn’t afraid to put them in their place, or hit them or something.”

 

Loki paused as he pulled his over-tunic over his head. “Two years...interesting.”

 

“What is?” Georgiana asked, not looking at him.

 

“Well, think about it. If there had been troubles like this in Irland twenty years ago, then it might not have been you I’d have been betrothed to,” Loki replied, straightening his tunic.

 

Georgiana swivelled to face him. “Yes, I suppose you're right. And we probably wouldn’t have fallen in love...”

 

“Or,” Loki added, with a mischievous grin, stepping up to her, “we would have fallen in love anyway and ended up having an affair that would drive Isolde into Thor’s arms anyway.”

 

Georgiana laughed as Loki cupped her face and kissed her. “And brought shame on the whole of Asgard, and possibly war between the two countries? You’re right; it’s a good thing that things didn’t work out that way after all.”

 

“Mm,” Loki agreed, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and hugging her close enough not to feel pain from doing so. “I could have ended up with someone truly unbearable for a wife instead of you.”

 

Georgiana elbowed him, gently, in the ribs but she couldn’t help smiling anyway. “Isolde’s not unbearable; well, I mean, I haven’t seen her for years, but she really is nice under all that. Like all the Irlandish; tough on the outside but with a heart of gold. Anyway, we were younger then, everyone at my school was a lot less...ladylike in those days. Oh, Hel,” she added, with a sigh, as her hair came loose from where she was trying to pin it. “I give up. I’ll have to wear it loose.”

 

Loki stopped her hand as she reached for her brush. Georgiana glanced at him in surprise. “Let me,” Loki said, softly, picking up the brush for her.

 

With a smile of amusement, Georgiana slid into the seat in front of her dressing table and allowed him to remove the few pins she had managed to make stay in. Her hair shimmered in the light when it was brushed, he noticed, like pure gold. He remembered thinking that when they had first met, back when he had been three years old and she newborn, that her hair wasn’t blonde but pure gold. It reminded him of all those fairytales where women with golden hair were envied by the darker girls or else locked away in towers where their beauty couldn’t be shown to the rest of the world.

 

“I love your hair,” he told her, gently easing the brush through.

 

“Do you?” Georgiana asked, surprised, closing her eyes at how gentle he was, not pulling once. “I hate how springy it can get sometimes. Some days I wish it was straight. I have heard there are ways of getting it like that.”

 

“Well, if you try one, I may have to kill you,” Loki replied, still brushing. “Your hair is perfect the way it is.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “You know, back in school, Isolde told me that she’d overheard one of the girls who used to torment me that she wished she had hair like mine.”

 

“Well, there you go,” Loki replied, and then paused what he was doing. “People used to torment you in school?”

 

“Just a little. They didn’t believe me when I told them that I was betrothed to a Prince of Asgard, and then they used to tease me that...” She blushed, turning her head away from him slightly. “That you wouldn’t like me because I didn’t stand up straight...or because I wasn’t as pretty as they were.”

 

Loki stopped what he was doing and leaned down to kiss her, wrapping her in a comforting embrace. “Georgiana, you know they were wrong, don’t you?”

 

“I do now,” Georgiana replied, smiling up at him. “But sometimes I did wonder...”

 

“Georgiana, you are beautiful,” Loki insisted, firmly. “And if anyone ever dares tell you otherwise, I won’t hesitate to kill them.”

 

Georgiana blinked at him. “Well, there’s no need to go quite that far, Loki.”

 

“Hm, no, perhaps you’re right,” Loki agreed, thoughtfully, “but they would definitely suffer for it.”

 

Georgiana shook her head, fondly. “Well, it didn’t last long anyway, because Isolde stood up for me, and no one wanted to challenge her. So they mostly left me alone after that, although I think they still talked about me behind my back sometimes.”

 

Loki raised his eyebrows. “Were they the ones who said you were too thin?”

 

Georgiana nodded. “Yes, although not to my face. I just happened to hear them whispering to each other one day after we’d been swimming. I can’t remember exactly what it was now, but it was something like “No Prince would want a wife as thin and flat as her, not when they can just as easily have one with beautiful curves, and we all know that Princes like that kind of thing.”

 

Loki smiled and placed his fingers under her chin, lifting her face up so their eyes met. “Not this Prince, dove,” he promised, kissing her. “I love you just the way you are.”

 

“I know,” Georgiana murmured, clinging to him. “I love you too, Loki.”

 

The brush forgotten, Loki found himself finishing the job with his fingers as he ran them through her hair, pulling her to her feet. Georgiana wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back and feeling warm, and well loved, inside. “Come on,” she giggled, finally, breaking the kiss reluctantly. “I know we could do this all day, but I want to meet Isolde when she gets here.”

 

Loki smiled and kissed her forehead. “Lead the way, then, my love.”

 

They made their way towards the courtyard, where, to their surprise, a carriage was just pulling through the gates, bearing the Irland Coat of Arms on its doors and driven by four Irlandic Draught horses, black as night and the beer the Irlandic drank. Letting go of Loki’s hand, Georgiana hurried down the steps as the carriage finally pulled up and the coachman leapt down to open the door.

 

“M’Lady,” he greeted her with a bow in guttural Irlandic tones, before pulling open the door. Georgiana acknowledged him with a smile and a nod, and then Isolde stepped out.

 

In the years Georgiana hadn’t seen her, it was safe to say that Isolde de Anguish hadn’t changed that much. Her thin, straw-coloured hair was longer now, of course, and restrained in a thick plait tossed over one shoulder. Her face strong, typically beautiful for Irlandic girls, round and sturdy, and very much attractive to men from all corners of the Nine Realms. She was pale and her eyes were dark blue, like the sea on a calm day, almond-shaped, and one could detect there was a fierceness behind them. Her eyebrows were thin and a shade darker than her hair, her lips full pink and soft. She wore a long dress, like a tunic, of a faded green colour, trimmed here and there with flecks of pale gold and cinched at the waist with a dark blue belt, and thick boots made of animal skin on her feet. In fact, if it weren’t for the carriage and the fact that the man who stepped out behind her wore a crown, one might not have believed at first glance that she _was_ a Princess at all, as by Asgard’s standards, she appeared like a commoner or stable girl, albeit a rather beautiful one, but certainly not anyone of royal blood.

 

Her eyes scanned the palace in front of her in an almost bored manner, then landed on Georgiana and widened at once.

 

“Georgiana!” she exclaimed, her face lighting up at once as she smiled.

 

“Isolde!” Georgiana exclaimed back, hurrying forwards and meeting her old friend’s hug with one of her own. Isolde clung to her as if they were sisters who had been parted rather than friends.

 

“How are you?” she asked, extracting herself from Georgiana to beam at her. She seemed to have lost a little of the ruggedness to her accent over time, Georgiana noticed, but she could still detect the lilt there. It probably had to do with her growing up, and being trained to be a lady. “Of course, I’d forgotten you’d be here! I mean, I really should have twigged when I heard Father mention King Odin’s name, but still! I’m such a fool!”

 

It was as if they’d never been apart at all. She was still the same girl Georgiana remembered being in school with. “I should have made more of an effort to get in touch,” Georgiana replied. “I wanted to, but so many things got in the way.”

 

“Oh, I know the feeling, believe me,” Isolde smiled.

 

King Anguish, who had been loitering at the carriage door all this time, now came up to them. Georgiana glanced at him and immediately felt a shiver run down her spine. Her instincts told her that here was a man you would _not_ want to cross. His hair was like Volstagg’s; long and waving, but the same colour as his daughter’s, and his eyes were dark grey beneath knitted bushy eyebrows. Like Thor, he also sported moustache and beard, neatly trimmed, which seemed surprising given his hair length. He wore a dark brown tunic over a smoky-blue shirt, brown trousers and boots similar to Isolde’s, though also trimmed with animal fur, and a crown of some dark grey steel around his brow. In essence, like Odin, he bore the manner of a King, there was no denying that he was that, cutting a fierce figure beside the two women, but when he spoke, his voice came out unnaturally soft, given his appearance.

 

“You two know each other?” His accent was like that of the driver’s, and Isolde’s back when she was younger.

 

Isolde rolled her eyes. “Georgiana and I were in school together, Father.”

 

Georgiana quickly dropped a curtsey of respect as he eyed her. “Yes, Your Majesty. In fact, Isolde stood up for me when some of the other girls bullied me.”

 

“Ah!” King Anguish took her hand and bowed over it. “Yes, I do think I remember you mentioning that, Isolde.” Over his back, Isolde mouthed to Georgiana “He doesn’t,” with a shake of her head. Georgiana bit back a smile as the King of Irland straightened up again, with a smile that didn’t quite suite his features.

 

“She’s married to Prince Loki, Father,” Isolde added, folding her hands in front of her skirt.

 

“Yes,” Georgiana added, turning her head in the direction of the steps and relieved to see Loki making his way down towards her. She wasn’t entirely sure she felt safe standing near this majestic, battle-scarred King even in Isolde’s presence, without Loki there. “And talk of the devil, he appears.” She took Loki’s hand as he reached her, with a smile, and then turned to Isolde. “Loki, meet Isolde, my old friend from school.”

 

Loki bowed, respectfully, and was met with Isolde’s curtsey. “Pleasure to finally meet you at last. Georgiana’s told me so much about you, although forgive me if I don’t hug you; I’m still recovering from some war wounds.”

 

“Oh, yes, I heard about that,” Isolde replied, sympathetically. “From what people tell me, you’re lucky to be alive.”

 

“Indeed,” King Anguish cut across her. “War is a terrible thing.”

 

“You must be Anguish,” Loki replied, politely, extending a hand to him. “I believe you know my Father.”

 

“Aye, indeed,” Anguish replied, gruffly, shaking his hand. Loki managed not to wince at the strength of the other man’s grip as he was released. “Not as well as I’d like to; Irland’s not had much dealings with Asgard lately, I’m ‘shamed to say.”

 

“Well, hopefully, we can redeem that through this marriage, Anguish.” Odin had just come up to them, and the two Kings grasped hands like brothers entering battle together. “Welcome, Princess Isolde,” Odin added, bowing to her. “You’re both our welcome guests tonight.”

 

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Isolde replied, although Georgiana noticed something stiff about the way she moved, and the looks she kept shooting her Father. There was something almost angry in her attitude towards him, and it suddenly occurred to Georgiana that Isolde might not be completely happy about this arranged marriage. She quickly slipped her arm though Loki’s and pressed closer to him. Loki smiled down at her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

 

“Come!” Odin smiled at Anguish and then offered Isolde his arm. She smiled, a genuine smile this time, and took it, ignoring her Father’s look of approval. “I think it’s time for you to meet your betrothed.”

 

“I’m very much looking forward to it, Your Majesty,” Isolde answered, before allowing him to lead her inside. Loki indicated for King Anguish to precede them, and Anguish answered with a smile and a nod before following Odin and his daughter into the palace.

 

“This should be interesting,” Loki murmured.

 

“I thought it was just me for a second there,” Georgiana said, softly, watching the trio enter the palace. “But she really doesn’t want this, does she?”

 

“Can you blame her?” Loki asked, glancing at her. “She probably thought that she’d be free to marry for love and suddenly _this_ gets enforced on her. Wouldn’t you be a bit reluctant too?”

 

Georgiana cocked her head on one side, thinking hard. “I suppose...” She glanced at him. “Was that how you felt when you found out we were to be married?”

 

“No,” Loki replied, truthfully, reaching up his free hand to hold the one she had tucked through his arm. “It was different for us. I was a child so when I was told that I’d be married to the daughter of an Earl someday, well, it was just like being told I’d go to school someday, or Thor being told that one day he’d be Ruler. It was just something I accepted without a second thought. Anyway,” he added, as they made their way inside, “if it is true that we fell in love the second we met, I suppose growing up I never thought about the notion of falling in love with or wanting to be with someone else, because I knew that you were mine. Does that make sense?”

 

Georgiana smiled and snuggled closer to him. “That makes perfect sense, Loki. I just wondered because, well, there was a small part of your life where you weren’t betrothed to me but I’d been brought up my whole life knowing that one day I’d marry a Prince of Asgard, so I never questioned it either.”

 

“I did get a bit nervous about it before I met you again, though,” Loki confessed.

 

“That’s alright, I did too,” Georgiana replied, smiling up at him. “I thought we wouldn’t like each other, remember?”

 

“Oh, my fears were worse, believe me.”

 

“Oh, yes?”

 

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

 

“I won’t. I promise.”

 

Loki stopped and turned to face her, brushing her hair out of her eyes and sweeping his hands thought it. “Alright.” He took a deep breath. “I was scared that...that you’d fall in love with Thor, and not me. I mean, he _is_ the Golden Boy, the one that all the other women adore, so I thought you might too. And that _did_ terrify me.”

 

Georgiana felt her heart squeeze. She had never imagined before that Loki might think himself inferior to his brother in any way. Alright, so Thor was the one who would inherit the throne, and Thor was the one who had the muscles and the hammer, but she had never noticed him in that way. All her life her eyes had strayed to those men of slighter build and darker hair, and then the second she had laid eyes on Loki, she had just known that he was the man she was born to love before she even found out who he was. And how could anyone pick Thor over Loki, when Loki was intelligent, playful, kind and though mischievous, also very caring and loving? She couldn’t imagine it, and she certainly couldn’t picture herself casting him to one side to be with his brother.

 

“Oh, Loki,” she murmured, cupping his face and looking straight into his eyes, those beautiful green eyes she had come to adore so much. “Even if I hadn’t met you first, Thor would never have been my type in a hundred, thousand, million years.”

 

“Well, they do say that, physically, opposites attract,” Loki agreed, feeling relief flood through him as Georgiana leaned forwards to kiss him. He couldn’t help feeling slightly smug as he returned her kiss, pulling her close to him, that their marriage had worked out, that they had fallen in love with one another and were perfectly happy whereas there were also those who fell into matches like this and weren’t happy together. He did wonder briefly about those girls who had teased Georgiana in her childhood; were they this happy in their marriage, if they had even got married at all? Probably not, he reflected, finally breaking the kiss and murmuring softly as he brushed his lips to her forehead “Come on, we’d better catch up to the others.”

 

“I hope they like each other at least,” Georgiana replied, taking his hand. “Although what woman _couldn’t_ like Thor is beyond me.”

 

“I thought you said he wasn’t your type?” Loki teased.

 

Georgiana nudged him, gently. “He isn’t, but that doesn’t mean I can’t like him as a friend, and since he _is_ your brother, you want us to get along, don’t you?”

 

“Of course,” Loki smiled, before leading her down the corridor towards the courtroom.

 

They found Odin, Anguish and Isolde inside, talking to Frigga. Georgiana smiled to herself, knowing that Frigga had taken to her new daughter-to-be at once; it was clear from the warmth of her smile, and it looked like Isolde had taken a similar liking to the Queen of Asgard. Odin turned as they came in and asked “Loki, where _is_ your brother?”

 

“I’ve no idea,” Loki answered, honestly, although he had a feeling he _did_ know. “Do you want me to find him?”

 

“Please,” Odin replied, before turning back to Anguish and starting to say “I apologise for my son, he’s usually a lot more punctual than this for such things...”

 

“You’ll be alright without me for a bit?” Loki asked, softly, kissing Georgiana’s cheek.

 

Georgiana smiled. “I think I can manage. Go on, off you go.”

 

Loki squeezed her hand and then left. Georgiana watched him leave, wondering where Thor was hiding – if he was hiding, that is, she hoped he wasn’t ill or something – and then turned to talk to Frigga and Isolde, who, as he had suspected, were getting along wonderfully.

 

Loki, meanwhile, quickened his pace as he traversed the corridors of the palace, in search of his brother. In the end, though, he found him where he had suspected he would all along, down in the training ring. He was, surprisingly, alone, sitting on one of the steps leading down to the ring and also, surprisingly, deep in thought. Loki couldn’t remember seeing him so quiet and still before. He wondered whether he ought to be worried.

 

“Thor,” he called when he was close enough. Thor swivelled his eyes in his brother’s direction but otherwise he didn’t move. Loki jogged up to him and then plopped down beside him. “Father’s wondering where you are,” he said, trying to sound bright and encouraging. “He’s likely to get quite cross if you don’t turn up soon.”

 

“Hm,” was Thor’s response.

 

Loki’s face became serious. “Thor, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me being like this.”

 

“Like what?” Thor asked in surprise, finally turning his head to look at his brother properly.

 

“Like that,” Loki replied, waving a hand at his brother’s posture to illustrate what he meant. “Sitting so quietly and not moving. It worries me.”

 

Thor sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry, Loki, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

 

“Tell me what’s wrong, then,” Loki persisted. “Maybe I can help?”

 

“What’s wrong?” Thor gave a hollow laugh. “I’m about to meet the woman I’m to spend the rest of my life with, and I know absolutely nothing about her!”

 

“Well, now’s your chance to learn it,” Loki began.

 

“Loki, you don’t get it,” Thor interrupted. “It wasn’t like this for you.”

 

“Wasn’t it?” Loki challenged. “What; I wasn’t nervous about meeting my wife-to-be for the first time? I know,” he added as Thor opened his mouth to argue, “I know you’re going to argue that it’s not the same because I loved her the second I saw her as a child, and maybe you’re right, but Thor; how do you _know_ that you and Isolde aren’t going to fall in love on the spot like we did?” Thor promptly closed his mouth again and Loki couldn’t help smiling, knowing that he had him. “You don’t, do you? But it might go that way for you too. I took my chances with Georgiana.”

 

“And what’s it like?” Thor asked. When Loki looked confused, he added “Being in love, Brother. What does it feel like?”

 

Loki thought about it for a moment. Loving Georgiana; what did it feel like?

 

“I can’t describe it,” he admitted, finally. “I just knew that the second I laid eyes on her that I wanted her to have everything that I could give her and more; that I wanted her to be always happy and if she cried, to be the one to wipe her tears and make everything better; be the one to hold her when she needs it and even when she doesn’t; to be the person she needs and wants.” He thought about it some more. “To be the one to make her feel loved. And at the same time, my heart just sort of...flipped and I felt for a second like I couldn’t breathe. And somehow...I just knew that I’d give up anything and everything to make her happy.”

 

Thor listened, intently, taking it all in, and then grinned. “I thought you said you couldn’t describe it, but you seem to have done so anyway.”

 

“Shut up,” Loki replied, giving him a push. “Anyway, I wasn’t finished.” He took a deep breath, fixed his brother with a look to make sure that he was listening, and then went on “It hurts, Thor. Being away from her, during the war, it was probably the most painful thing I’ve ever gone through, more painful than all these injuries. The thought of ever being ripped away from her for good terrifies me. But she is worth it, Thor, worth whatever pain love has to offer. Because she’s more than just my wife, she’s the part of my life that’s been missing for so long and which I can’t live without.” He hesitated before going on “And that’s what love is; it’s wonderful, it’s painful, it’s complicated, it’s all these things and more intermixed and some bits of it I still don’t understand. All I know is that I love Georgiana and she loves me, and it is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

 

They were silent a moment and then Thor spoke up. “That’s a lot to feel all at once.”

 

“I know,” Loki replied, “but as I said, Georgiana’s worth it. And the only way you can find out if Isolde’s worth it too is to meet her. Now come on, or Father’ll have both our heads on a platter and make Georgiana clean up the mess.”

 

Thor chuckled and got to his feet. “Alright. I suppose you’re right. I can’t put it off any longer.”

 

“Good man,” Loki muttered, getting to his feet. “Fix your hair,” he added, trying to pat it down for him.

 

“Get off,” Thor grinned, ducking away and wielding Mjölnir.

 

Loki held up his hands in self-defense. “Well, you don’t want to scare your future wife off.”

 

Thor shook his head and then made his way to the door. Loki grinned and hurried after him, hoping that Thor might possibly be able to fall in love with Princess Isolde after all. And if not, well, there were ways that they could always be nudged in the right direction. For now they just had to get through today and tomorrow; everything else could wait until then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based Isolde and Anguish's appearances on the following photos from the film Tristan and Isolde: 
> 
> Isolde:http://a2.tvspielfilm.de/imedia/7476/1657476,2Bx_wdjMso4zS_5pktnGl34C3oWlB4PVCXqQwHd01XjRfXEvlZLprOD9Mx5Ha3GHNTcYybJh04GQPbBKSvfyoQ==.jpg
> 
> Anguish: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01190/arts-graphics-film_1190682a.jpg


	7. A Perfect Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki takes Georgiana somewhere special...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains a lot of fluff, and a teeny-tiny bit of smut...
> 
> (Also before anyone points it out, I know Sleipnir is meant to be Loki's son but since his kids don't feature in this fic, or at least not yet, I thought I'd give the name to his horse instead!)

Georgiana awoke in the early hours of the morning, to sunlight streaming through a slit in the drapes, cutting a golden line into the dimness of the room. She blinked and then smile, feeling quite comfortable curled up beside Loki, who was still asleep and holding her from behind. Her initial happiness faded, however, as she played out the events of the last two days in her mind.

_Though Odin and Frigga seemed to have taken to Isolde no bother, Thor hadn’t, it seemed. Of course, he had been polite but she could tell when she looked at him that he was not looking into the eyes of a man in love. Still, she thought, at least the feeling was mutual, since Isolde seemed quite adamant that Thor would be the last person in the whole of the Nine Realms that she would ever fall in love with._

_Of course, both of them had maintained a polite demeanour around one another in – and out of – the public eye. After Loki had found Thor and brought him back to the courtroom – “I found him wandering the streets,” he had teased, to which Thor had hotly replied “I was **not** wandering the streets; I just lost track of time!”, earning a stifled giggle from Georgiana, a fond smile from Frigga, and a roll of the eyes and shake of the head from Odin - the two had greeted one another in the customary way, by bowing and with Thor kissing Isolde’s hand, and then been ushered to the feast, which would have felt a rather stilted affair had it not been for Odin and Anguish’s enthusiasm as they talked – so much so that only Frigga was able to get a word in edgeways, and so the two brothers and their partners were free to talk to one another respectively without having to worry. _

_For Georgiana and Isolde, it was a chance to catch up on what the other had been doing during their time apart._

_“Do you ever hear anything about any of the others?” Isolde asked. “I met a couple of the girls from the year above last week; they’re both doing pretty well for themselves. I mean, not as well as you, obviously, but anyway, they seemed happy.”_

_“I haven’t heard much,” Georgiana admitted, “but I’m certain that Bess and Mary at least tried to do well for themselves. After all, boys always looked at them.”_

_Isolde rolled her eyes as she lowered her cup. “Tell me you’re not still letting their words get to youse?”_

_Georgiana smiled and shook her head. “Not anymore. I don’t need to.” She had glanced up at Loki, in conversation with Thor, and smiled. Feeling her eyes on him, Loki glanced at her and smiled briefly back at her before his attention was caught by something Thor said and he went back to discussing it. Isolde had glanced between them and smiled too. “Loki loves me the way I am,” Georgiana added, quietly, hoping she didn’t sound smug about it._

_“You’re very lucky,” Isolde replied, with genuine warmth, squeezing her hand. “You’ve really landed on your feet.”_

_Meanwhile, Thor had once again been asking Loki about the art of falling in love._

_“Tell me again how you felt seeing Georgiana for the first time,” he muttered. “Because I’m sure as Hel that that’s not how I’m feeling about Isolde.”_

_“Give it time,” Loki replied. “Not everyone falls in love at first sight. You and her might need to find some common ground first.”_

_“Such as what?” Thor persisted._

_“I don’t know,” Loki replied, feeling slightly exasperated. “Talk to her. Apart from the two of you both being one half of an arranged marriage, you must have something in common.”_

_Thor glanced at the woman he was due to marry. “She is beautiful, I’ll own up to that, but...I don’t know, Loki. I just don’t think we’re right for each other.”_

_“Well, I know it’s the last thing you want to hear,” Loki sighed, “but-”_

_“I know,” Thor finished for him. “I don’t have a choice.”_

_Georgiana had happened to overhear a snatch of their conversation as they followed their parents out into the grounds – Anguish had been very interested to see the training ground and insisted that his daughter see it too (Georgiana wondered whether he was expecting Isolde to be impressed by it) – and she and Loki had followed a short distance behind. The conversation was polite but lacking in much enthusiasm, and as they had made their way down the steps, she had heard Thor murmur “Just so you know, I’m probably as happy about this arrangement, as you are.”_

_To which Isolde had smiled, thinly, and replied “Well, we have that in common at least.”_

_She had taken Georgiana aside later in the day and confided in her, as good friends usually do. “He’s pleasant enough,” she had admitted, “and handsome in a conventional sort of way, but...I don’t know, Georgiana, I don’t think I can ever find it in my heart to love him, knowing that our marriage is something that neither of us really wanted.”_

_Georgiana couldn’t help feeling a little distressed at that, although she tried not to show it. She felt sorry for her friend, and suddenly sorry for all women who got married without love having any say in it. “You might change your mind,” she said, slipping her arm through Isolde’s and squeezing it comfortingly. “In time.”_

_Isolde shrugged. “I doubt it.” Then, she smiled at her friend and returned her squeeze. “But I’ll at least try and make our marriage work, if only to keep everyone else happy.”_

_Watching them get married the next day, Georgiana couldn’t help feeling like she was watching a play, and that the two main actors’ hearts weren’t really in what they were performing. At any rate, if anyone else noticed that, they were too polite to say and kept their opinions to themselves, and Thor and Isolde at least seemed to enjoy the party that followed the ceremony. Mind you, it had been a lot of fun, and everyone had gone to bed in a merry mood._

And now, awake, Georgiana realised that her friends were about to spend their first day as a married couple together, or possibly not together, seeing how comfortable they felt in one another’s presence, and she gave a small shiver of anticipation.

 

“Cold?” Georgiana roused herself as she felt Loki’s lips brush the side of her neck, and she turned to him, with a startled smile.

 

“I thought you were asleep,” she murmured as Loki continued kissing her neck, making a soft trail of kisses that sent shivers down her spine.

 

“I was,” Loki replied against her skin, inhaling her sweet, soft scent, and remembering there had been a time when he had thought he may not get to do so ever again, “until a few minutes ago.”

 

Georgiana smiled as he wrapped his arms around her a little tighter, pulling her closer. She could feel the warmth of his skin on hers even through their layers of nightwear. “No, I’m not cold. I was just thinking.”

 

“What about?” Loki asked, still kissing her.

 

“Well,” Georgiana confessed, turning slightly and slipping her arm around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair and causing him to sigh against her neck, “partly about Thor and Isolde, and partly about how if my husband’s lips don’t find mine in the next three seconds, I’m going to have to take matters into my own hands.”

 

Loki chuckled and then his mouth found hers. “Good morning, my love,” he murmured.

 

“Good morning, my Prince,” Georgiana whispered back, before kissing him again, hungering for more.

 

“Are you worried?” Loki asked, breaking away from her and meeting her wide brown eyes with his green ones.

 

Georgiana frowned slightly and then realised what he was on about. “A little bit. I mean...I want them to be happy...like we are...and if they’re not, well, I sort of feel sorry for them being dragged into this. I mean, Thor’s right, it was different for us.”

 

Loki smiled and kissed her cheek. “Give them time, dove. Thor can be stubborn sometimes, but he gives in eventually. He’ll probably slip into the role of loving husband the more time he spends with her.”

 

“Mm,” Georgiana agreed, thoughtfully. “And Isolde can be very determined when she sets her mind on something. Maybe we just need to leave them to get to know each other.”

 

“Exactly,” Loki agreed, pushing himself into a sitting position.

 

Georgiana smiled up at him. “Do you ever get tired of being right all the time?”

 

“Not really,” Loki grinned back and she laughed, pushing herself up and brushing her hair out of her eyes.

 

“So,” she asked, running a hand through her silky curls, “what are we doing today?”

 

“Whatever you want to do, Georgiana,” Loki replied, with a gentle smile. “If it helps you make up your mind at all, my wounds feel like they’ve all but healed.”

 

Georgiana returned his smile. “I think I just want to spend the day with my husband, and leave Isolde to hopefully spend the day with hers.”

 

Loki thought for a moment and then asked “Can you swim?”

 

Georgiana blinked in surprise. “Yes, I can swim, Loki. I was taught in school.”

 

“In that case, I have an idea,” Loki replied, tossing the sheets off them both and rolling out of bed. “Get dressed.”

 

Georgiana fixed him with a look. “Excuse me, Prince Loki?”

 

Loki smiled. “Please?”

 

“That’s more like it,” Georgiana teased, clambering out of bed and stretching herself. “Should I wear anything particular?”

 

Loki thought for a second. “Avoid any shoes that you can’t wear for very long without taking off; and nothing with too long a skirt. Something you can ride in.”

 

“Ride?” Georgiana glanced at him. “Loki, where exactly are we going?”

 

“You’ll see.” He fixed her with a mischievous look. “Do you trust me?”

 

Georgiana laughed. “I rarely do anything else.”

 

Bathed and dressed, they made their way out towards the stables, and Georgiana inhaled the soft scent of leather and straw. It was strange how clean the stables always smelled in Asgard; she could remember the ones at her school stinking of manure, and often unwashed stable boys. Even they looked pressed and polished as they scurried about the stables, grooming and tacking the horses.

 

“Morning, Prince Loki,” one of the boys greeted him as they entered. “He’s saddled and ready.”

 

Loki thanked him and Georgiana stared in awe at the magnificent ebony stallion standing before them, his legs dappled with faint flakes of gold, his mane and tail brushed but wild and windswept and his eyes large and somewhat haughty. “Loki, he’s beautiful,” she whispered, slowly reaching her hand out to stroke the velvet muzzle.

 

“Careful, Your Highness,” the stable lad warned, and Loki spun about in alarm, but before either of them could move, the horse took step forward and met Georgiana’s hand, allowing her to pet him. Loki was surprised to say the least, and the stable lad’s jaw actually dropped.

 

“Hello,” Georgiana cooed, slowly stroking the horse, who closed his eyes and gave a snort of contentment. “You’re gorgeous, aren’t you? Yes, you are.” The stable lad shuffled away to groom another horse and Loki relaxed. “What’s his name?” Georgiana asked.

 

“Sleipnir,” Loki replied, watching his horse take to his wife as if they had been friends for years. “He likes you,” he added, admiringly. Though, how anyone could not like Georgiana was beyond him. “Usually he won’t let anyone but me, and a couple of the stable workers, near him.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “Well, I like him too.”

 

With a smile, Loki swung himself into the saddle and then held his hand out to Georgiana. Feeling slightly nervous, because it was a while since she had ridden a horse, Georgiana took it and allowed him to pull her up in front of him. She was grateful for that; she felt safer with his arms about her as she held on tightly. Loki took the reins and dug his heels into Sleipnir’s flanks. The horse took off at a trot at once and within a matter of seconds they were through the palace gates. Georgiana felt a small thrill of excitement quiver in her stomach, as if they were children sneaking out without permission.

 

“Tell me,” she asked, presently, “how come that boy knew to have Sleipnir saddled and ready for you? Magic?”

 

Loki laughed, lightly. “No, I sent a note down to the stables whilst you were bathing, dove.”

 

“Oh. That’s not quite as exciting, is it, my Prince?” Georgiana teased, prompting a laugh from her husband again. Then, she added, thoughtfully. “Do...do you like it when I call you that? My Prince, I mean?”

 

Loki smiled. “As a matter of fact, I do. Reminds me I’m yours.”

 

“Oh, do you need reminding?” Georgiana asked, pretending to be offended. “I would have thought that was obvious.”

 

Loki smiled, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “Very sharp, my love.”

 

Georgiana giggled as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Loki, will you really not tell me where we’re going?”

 

“No, because it’s a surprise,” Loki replied. “But I will tell you that it’s a place that only I know how to get to, because it requires magic to get there.” Georgiana must have tensed without realising it because he added, seriously, “You know I’d never take you anywhere if I thought it was dangerous, right?”

 

“Of course I do,” Georgiana replied, slipping her fingers through his. “I trust you, remember?”

 

They were soon out of sight from the palace and deep within the green and brown of the forest. Georgiana hadn’t been here yet but she instantly felt that this was a place of calm, peaceful tranquillity. A few birds sang somewhere nearby and once a deer rushed past into the nearest thicket, a flash of red against the green. Soon, however, they came upon a particularly quiet patch where they were met by two large standing stones, standing with a gap just wide enough for a horse to pass through between them, and carved with ancient writing. Loki laid his hand on one and muttered something, some ancient magical enchantment, and Georgiana gasped in wonder as suddenly from the bases of the stones, two long branches sprung up, lithe and willowy, twisting towards the sky. They curved themselves towards one another as they reached the tops of the stones, forming what looked like a doorway and suddenly a transparent, rippling curtain, like water, appeared in the midst of their archway. She glanced at Loki, who simply smiled at her and then urged Sleipnir forwards. Georgiana braced herself, feeling they were about to get wet, but to her surprise, they didn’t, and suddenly they weren’t in the forest any longer, but at the top of an enormous stretch of sand. It gleamed dark gold for miles until it met the sea, which glittered with diamonds in the blazing hot sunshine.

 

“Oh, Loki...” Georgiana breathed, feeling a warm breeze of her face as she took it all in. It had been years since she had been to the beach and this place was completely deserted and quiet. The more she looked, the more she realised how beautiful it was.

 

“I found this place by accident a few years ago,” Loki replied, dismounting and tying Sleipnir’s reins to a nearby branch. “I come here sometimes whenever I need to think. Now it can be _our_ place.”

 

Georgiana smiled, feeling a rush of love for him. “Loki, if I didn’t already love you when we got married, I certainly do by now.”

 

With a smile, Loki reached up to help her down. “Come on,” he said, taking her hand.

 

Together they made their way down to the beach until they were directly between sand and lapping sea. Loki conjured a blanket and they laid it on the sand, weighing it down with stones to keep it from blowing away before they both sat down upon it. “I can see what you mean,” Georgiana murmured, leaning her head on his shoulder. “It’s so peaceful here. I can see why you’d want to get away from palace life here.”

 

Loki looked at her and smiled. “You know, if we’d seen each other more often when we were younger, I would have taken you here every chance we got.”

 

“That’s very sweet,” Georgiana murmured, and then she quickly sat up straight and peeled off her boots and stockings.

 

“Going in?” Loki asked.

 

“I think I just might,” Georgiana replied, before hurrying towards the sea and allowing the warm salt water to wash over her ankles as she hitched her skirts up to her knees. Anywhere else, such a thing would be considered scandalous in public, but she felt safe knowing that only her husband could see her. Loki watched her splash around for a moment and then made up his mind to pull off his own boots and join her. Georgiana smiled as he reached her, and then, mischievously, kicked water at him.

 

“Hey!” Loki laughed, splashing her back, and as Georgiana squealed in protest, he added “No, no, _you_ started this! Now you have to see it through!” They splashed one another repeatedly until Loki finally caught hold of her and Georgiana laughed “No! No, don’t you dare get my dress wet, Loki Odinson, or you’ll live to regret it!” Then, giggling as she straightened up, she flung her arms around Loki’s neck and kissed him, not caring that she had dropped her skirt and the hem was getting soaked. “Thank you for bringing me here,” she whispered.

 

Loki smiled at her. “You’re very welcome, my love.”

 

They spent their entire day at the beach together. Loki conjured up some food for them and they picnicked on the blanket before settling down for a nap together. The sun felt so warm it was easy to fall asleep, though Georgiana found herself removing her dress and bundling it around a rock before doing so. “I’m too warm with it on,” she explained, snuggling down beside Loki.

 

“You realise I have no objections to you taking your clothes off, Georgiana?” Loki smirked, and then received a soft thump for his remarks. Georgiana fell asleep to him stroking her hair and woke up feeling refreshed and ready for a swim.

 

“There’s nothing dangerous in the water, is there?” she asked, peeling her clothes off and doing as she had done with her dress to keep them from blowing away.

 

Loki knew what she was thinking and shook his head. “Not as far as I know. But perhaps it’s best we don’t swim too far out just in case.”

 

Georgiana nodded and then smiled at him. “Are you joining me, then, Loki?”

 

“Wild horses couldn’t stop me,” Loki replied, already wriggling out of his own clothing.

 

Georgiana laughed and then ran towards the sea, feeling the friendly drops splash up her legs as she ran, like they were encouraging her onwards, and then as the waves reached her waist she began to swim, and then turned to see Loki swimming behind her. She smiled, realising just how safe she felt in his presence. She imagined that if Asgard were ever attacked – and that had been known to happen in the past – or invaded or if she and Loki found themselves in some dangerous place faraway from Asgard, she would feel safe with him no matter what came their way. After all, she remembered, if all the rumours she had heard from the war were correct, he was an extremely skilled fighter.

 

Without thinking, she made to stand up, but instead she promptly sank below the surface with a startled shriek.

 

“Georgiana!” Loki caught hold of her and pulled her above the surface again as she coughed and spluttered. “Are you alright? What happened?”

 

“I...I thought I could still...touch the bottom,” Georgiana coughed. “Obviously I was...wrong.”

 

Loki breathed out. “Come on,” he murmured, steering her towards a large rock. “Sit down for a minute.”

 

Georgiana allowed him to help her along with a grateful look as she coughed again, her whole body shaking to try and get rid of the salt water she had swallowed by accident. Reaching the rock, she pulled herself up, shaking her wet hair out of her eyes and clambered into a sitting position, pulling her knees up to her chin and gasping and coughing fit to burst.

 

Loki quickly pulled himself up beside her and rubbed her firmly between the shoulder blades. “You alright?” he asked, slightly worried.

 

Georgiana nodded and finally ceased her coughing, leaning back against the rock. “Yes, I’m fine.” She took a deep breath and relaxed. “Thank you.”

 

Loki lay down beside her. “For a moment there, I thought... _something_ had got you.”

 

Georgiana giggled, weakly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She glanced at him. He had been right about his injuries; that gash from the flying sword had almost healed completely and the bruises were mostly faded to nothing. Even so, she couldn’t help feeling a pang of sympathy for him having been so badly hurt in the war. Moving closer to him, she stroked his shoulder, gently, where one of the worst bruises had been. “Will you please tell me what happened?” she whispered.

 

Loki looked at her for a moment, knowing inwardly that she would never let it go until he did tell her. “You really want to know?” She nodded. “It’s not a nice story.” She nodded again and Loki gave in. “Alright.” He paused, thinking best how to begin. “I sort of lost track of the days after we made camp, to be honest, so I’m not entirely sure whether it all happened at once or not. They were brutal days, though, Georgiana, and even though we didn’t lose anyone, the amount of injuries that built up were horrific. The fighting became so desperate that when people lost weapons, they just made do with what they could find.” He shuddered at the memories. “I took so many beatings from clubs and rocks it’s a wonder they didn’t break anything.” He glanced at her. “I just threw myself into the midst of it whenever they were about to attack one of our army. Thor saved me in the end; took out the ones beating me with Mjölnir just as I was about to pass out.”

 

Georgiana shivered. “What about...the flying sword?”

 

“I thought I told you not to ask about that,” Loki sighed, closing his eyes.

 

“Well, I am,” Georgiana murmured, shifting closer to him.

 

“Well, that came out of nowhere,” Loki replied. “In the midst of everything happening, I don’t know whether it was a deliberate attempt on Father by the enemy or an accident from one of our lot, but at any rate, I got in the way, and well...”

 

“You saved Odin’s life?” Georgiana breathed, sitting up slightly.

 

Loki smiled. “Yes, and before you ask, he was very grateful.”

 

Georgiana rolled over, straddling his lap and kissed him. The rock they were on wasn’t exactly comfortable, it was craggy and dug into their skin, but Loki found he was beyond caring as he sat up, returning her kiss and slipping his arms about her waist.

 

“You’re a hero, Loki,” Georgiana murmured against his mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

Loki shrugged. “I suppose I didn’t think about it like that at the time. All I was concentrating on was staying alive so I could get back to you.”

 

Georgiana kissed him again, feeling heat fluttering between her legs as she pressed closer to him. “I should have given you a hero’s welcome home,” she murmured, “but you were hurt.”

 

“There’s time yet to make it up to me,” Loki smirked against her lips.

 

Georgiana smiled with equal mischief. “Do you think we have time right now?”

 

Loki was surprised. “Right here? Right this second?” Georgiana nodded, her eyes hungry, pupils dilated and he shrugged. “Alright,” he murmured, before pulling her closer and kissing her again. Georgiana shifted herself and Loki slipped inside her, provoking a soft moan of pleasure from both of them.

 

Thankfully, any further sounds they made were drowned to Sleipnir’s ears by the crashing of the waves on the rocks.

 

“I love you, Loki,” Georgiana whispered, snuggling against him.

 

“I love you, too,” Loki murmured, kissing her shoulder. “So, so much,” he added, punctuating each word with a kiss.

 

Georgiana smiled, glad that she could finally snuggle up to him properly again now his wounds were almost healed. “This has been an absolutely perfect day,” she said, softly.

 

“Even though you almost drowned?” Loki teased.

 

She wriggled her shoulders. “I wasn’t worried; I knew you’d save me.”

 

Loki smiled and stroked her hair. “Every time.”

 

They swam back as the sun moved across the sky, looking like it was ready to set and Loki conjured up some towels for them both. Georgiana smiled as he fussed over her like she was a child, rubbing her down and getting the excess moisture out of her hair. “Loki!” she giggled. “I’m really not fragile, you know!”

 

“I know, but I like taking care of you,” Loki replied, quickly drying himself and passing her her underclothes. Georgiana couldn’t help marvelling, as she usually did, over just how handsome he was, and how attracted she was to him. She did wonder, briefly, if the Fates sometimes brought people together, people that they felt fitted together and had a future. It felt like they had done that with her and Loki. She quickly dressed and allowed Loki to brush her hair, drying it for her in the process with magic, as she pulled on her stockings and boots.

 

“Thank you, my Prince,” she smiled, teasingly, as he helped her to her feet. “And now perhaps you would be kind enough to escort me back to the palace?”

 

“Of course,” Loki teased back, kissing her fingers. “After all, I can’t let someone as beautiful as you wander around a forest unescorted.”

 

Georgiana giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “We can come here again, right? Just you and me?”

 

“As often as you like,” Loki promised, kissing her.

 

The journey back to the palace was fairly uneventful, but enjoyable all the same and to their surprise they were met in the courtyard by Isolde. She was carrying a book and judging from her windswept hair, she had been outside some time.

 

“Where have you two been?” she asked, smiling, as if she already suspected.

 

“Out,” Georgiana replied, mischievously, as Loki dismounted. “What have you been doing?”

 

“Oh, I went for a wander,” Isolde replied, airily. “With my book. I don’t know where Thor got to; I think he was heading for the training ground.”

 

Loki and Georgiana exchanged a glance as he helped her down from Sleipnir. In all that had happened in their day, they had both forgotten about Thor and Isolde, but it didn’t look like they had spent much time together today at all.

 

“Probably,” Loki said, quickly before Isolde could notice their look. “But don’t go thinking that that’s all he does in his spare time.”

 

Isolde smiled. “I’m sure it’s not.” It didn’t sound like she believed him, though. “Anyway, it’s a good thing you two didn’t stay out any longer; you’d have missed dinner, and I’d have missed you being there.”

 

Promptly, she flicked her open book upwards to cover her face again and drifted away from them.

 

Georgiana sighed as she left. “This isn’t good.”

 

“Mm,” Loki agreed. “They don’t even seem to be able to tolerate each others’ presence very much, let alone want to spend any time together.”

 

Georgiana glanced at the palace, willing Thor to suddenly appear and invite his wife to take a stroll around the grounds with him. When it didn’t happen, she shook her head. “They could, though. I mean, they could fall in love if they’d only give themselves a chance to at least _try_ and like one another.”

 

Loki thought for a second. “I wonder...”

 

Georgiana looked up at him. “What?”

 

“No.” Loki shook his head. “It’s a mad idea.”

 

“What?” Georgiana persisted. “Tell me.”

 

“Well...there might be a few things we could do to...let’s say help,” Loki replied, meaningfully.

 

Georgiana raised her eyebrows. “You mean push them together?”

 

“No, we’d never get away with it,” Loki muttered, although he looked as if he was willing to give it a go.

 

Georgiana wrapped her arms about him and looked up at him. “I’m listening.”

 

Loki smiled and cupped her face. “Well, I’m sure that given how well you know Isolde and I know Thor, we can find a few ways to get them to spend time together...”

 

“And see that the other person isn’t so bad after all,” Georgiana finished, her eyes bright. “But how?”

 

“Well, I do have one idea,” Loki replied. “But we’re going to need some help...and some food.”

 

“Food?” Georgiana repeated.

 

“For a bribe.”

 

“Loki, what exactly does this idea of yours involve?”

 

“Sif, the Warriors Three and a lot of begging,” Loki replied, adding before he closed the space between their lips, “Trust me.”

 


	8. Pride Comes Before a Fist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki has a plan. Georgiana has a bribe. Fandral gets punched!

“Before you go on,” Fandral said, raising a hand to stop the conversation going any further, “can I just ask you something?”

 

“Fire away,” Loki replied.

 

“Have you gone stark-staring **mental?”**

Georgiana tried not to laugh but it was very difficult. Loki simply smiled, allowing Fandral’s insult, if you could even call such a thing an insult, to roll off him like a wave.

 

It was the following day and the six of them – Loki, Georgiana, Sif and the Warriors Three – were all sitting in one of the palace meeting rooms, round one of the enormous oak tables that resided there. The windows were thrown open and a warm breeze lifted the gossamer-thin curtains gently. Beyond the sky was blue and peppered with clouds. In short, it was a good day to be outside, but right now there were more important matters at hand than enjoying the warm weather whilst it lasted.

 

Such as trying to bring Asgard’s latest married couple closer together, for a start.

 

“He has got a point,” Sif added, swivelling her eyes to Loki. For once there was no snarkiness in her tone as she spoke, just sincere honesty. She and Loki had never been the best of friends, everyone knew that, but they were usually civil to one another for Thor’s sake, and she was friendly to Georgiana, so she was friendly to Loki in her presence. “You more than anyone should know what Thor’s like when he really gets insulted.”

 

“I didn’t say it was a plan that anyone here was going to like,” Loki pointed out.

 

“That’s putting it bluntly,” Volstagg chipped in.

 

“But you four are the best ones to carry it off,” Loki went on. “True, he’ll be cross for a while, but you know Thor. He always comes back to his friends eventually, and then it’ll all wash over.”

 

“You hope,” sighed Sif. “There is a chance that he won’t talk to any of us ever again.”

 

“Would he do that?” Georgiana spoke up. “I mean, he has known you all for years.”

 

Sif smiled, wearily, at her. “You’ve yet to see him in a stubborn mood, Georgiana.”

 

“I have a question,” Hogun put in, leaning forwards in his seat. “Why are we the best ones to pull this off, Loki? Why not you?”

 

“Because I’m his brother and he’d see right through me in a second,” Loki replied.

 

Hogun hesitated and then leaned back in his chair. “Good answer.”

 

Fandral shook his head. “No. It’s too much of a risk. I mean, Thor’s not against using his fists when annoyed, remember? And I for one would like to arrive in Valhalla with all my limbs intact the way they’ve always been, thank you very much.”

 

“Aye, me and all,” Volstagg agreed, folding his arms.

 

“I thought you might say that,” Loki replied, calmly, nudging his foot against Georgiana’s beneath the table. She took it as a sign and picked up the sack she had managed to obtain from the kitchens that morning, pushing it across the tabletop towards the Warriors Three.

 

Fandral raised his eyebrows. “Is this a bribe? Because the Warriors Three will not be bought so easily, even to help a friend.”

 

Volstagg, however, had already raided the contents of the sack and as he held up a pheasant leg, Fandral sighed and Hogun rolled his eyes. “Is this braised?” Volstagg asked Georgiana as he inspected the leg.

 

She gave a small nod, once again trying not to laugh.

 

“Don’t!” Fandral yelped as Volstagg made to bite the meat. “Eat it and it means we’ve accepted the bribe! You’re a cruel man, Loki,” he added, narrowing his eyes at the younger Prince of Asgard, “appealing to his weak spots.”

 

“Well, it’s not like they’re hard to find,” Loki quipped.

 

“Still!” Fandral shook his head. “Are there no depths you won’t sink to?”

 

Loki bit back a laugh. “Does that mean you’ll do it?”

 

“No!” Fandral protested. “And we refuse to accept your-”

 

“I wasn’t actually talking to you, Fandral,” Loki cut in with a smirk.

 

This time Georgiana did laugh, she couldn’t help it, as Fandral paled and turned to Volstagg...who was already halfway through chomping on the pheasant leg. Hogun sighed and Fandral clapped a hand over his eyes in despair. Volstagg glanced at Loki and then nodded, swallowing his mouthful. “Doesn’t look like I’ve got much choice now, does it?”

 

“You idiot,” sighed Fandral.

 

“Come on, Fandral,” Sif smiled, “we all know that Volstagg here would sell his own parents for an offer like that.”

 

“True,” Hogun agreed. “Very true.”

 

“Well, I won’t be bought so easily,” Fandral insisted, “and neither will you two,” he added, nodding at Sif and Hogun, “right?”

 

“Not even to help a friend’s happiness?” Loki asked, glancing meaningfully at Sif.

 

“Depends; his or yours?” she responded, coolly.

 

Georgiana leaned forwards slightly. “I think that Thor and Isolde could be happy together, if they’d just give the other person a chance. Thor shouldn’t be stuck in a loveless marriage. Shouldn’t we at least _try_ and help him be happy?”

 

Sif smiled. “Well, alright, when you put it like that; I’m in.”

 

“Aye, me too,” Volstagg grunted through a mouthful of braised pheasant.

 

“Hogun?” Loki asked.

 

Hogun thought for a moment and then nodded. “For Thor.”

 

“I don’t believe you lot!” Fandral exclaimed, incredulously. “Call yourselves warriors? I thought you were firmer than this!”

 

“Warriors always take risks,” Sif reminded him.

 

“Well, I for one refuse to get punched in the face by one of my best friends,” Fandral retorted, shoving his chair back and getting to his feet.

 

Georgiana looked up at him, her face genuinely innocent as she fixed him with a soft look of pleading, her eyes wide and trusting, like a child’s. “Please?” she asked, her voice quiet and her expression enough to melt even a Frost Giant’s heart.

 

Fandral froze, momentarily, torn between stomping away and staying where he was, and then, with a groan, pinched the bridge of his nose and sank back into his seat. “Damn it! Alright! I’m in!”

 

“Hurrah!” said Volstagg through a mouthful of pheasant. “Wouldn’t have been the same without you!”

 

“So, what, all we have to do is insult Isolde and let Thor get defensive?” Sif asked.

 

Loki nodded. “But do it subtly, please.”

 

“I think we can manage that,” Hogun replied.

 

“Mm,” Volstagg agreed, rummaging in the sack and finding some capon roasted to perfection, much to his delight.

 

“No good will come of this,” Fandral sighed.

 

“Won’t it?” Loki countered. “What if it makes Thor happy? Isn’t that worth all the risks?”

 

“Stop tugging on my heartstrings, Loki, it doesn’t suit you,” Fandral muttered.

 

“Come on, then,” Sif said, pushing her chair back and getting to her feet. “If we hurry, we can catch up with him before he leaves the training ground.” She fixed Loki with a meaningful look. “You owe us for this, Loki.”

 

Loki shrugged, modestly, in response and Fandral and Hogun followed Sif to the door. “Volstagg, come on,” Fandral sighed.

 

“But I’m not done,” Volstagg protested, waving his capon, and then when Fandral and Hogun went up to him, grabbed an arm each and forced him out of his seat, he grumbled “Alright, alright,” grabbing the sack to take with him en route. The four of them left the room and Loki and Georgiana found themselves quite alone.

 

“Well done, my love,” Loki smiled, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it.

 

Georgiana smiled. “That trick always works on my parents when I want to get out of doing something. I didn’t think Fandral was really so cold-hearted that it wouldn’t work on him either.”

 

Loki chuckled and got to his feet, pulling her up too. “Come on, it’s too nice to be inside any longer. Let’s take a walk in the garden.”

 

Georgiana smiled and slipped her arm through his, allowing her to lead her from the room. To be perfectly honest, she had expected Sif and the Warriors Three to take a lot more convincing than that, but then she supposed that they probably didn’t want Thor to be unhappy, after all, they were his friends, and as Sif had pointed out, there was probably nothing that Volstagg wouldn’t do for a food bribe.

 

“Do you think it’s really going to work, though?” she asked as they reached the grounds, walking along the area they had walked their first night together in Asgard, the night they had realised their feelings for one another. How far away that night seemed now. And yet a part of her couldn’t imagine never loving Loki, never spending any of her life with him. “I mean, what if Fandral’s right and it does damage their friendship?”

 

Loki shook his head. “It won’t. Trust me. Thor will be angry with them for a while but then it’ll blow over and they’ll make up and it’ll be like it never happened in the first place.”

 

“But...are we going about this properly?” Georgiana persisted. “I mean, what if one of them insults Isolde and Thor just agrees with them?”

 

“Believe me,” Loki replied, sitting down on the bench where they had shared their first kiss. “If there’s one thing I know a lot about, it’s my brother.” He pulled Georgiana onto his lap and wrapped his arms about her waist. “Thor never likes anything that belongs to him to be insulted or ridiculed, even if it something he doesn’t really care about all that much. I can remember this one time a few years ago when he and Father had this blazing row about royal responsibilities. I don’t know if you’ve ever argued with your parents, but this was one of those terrifyingly loud ones that ended with Thor vowing never to speak to Father ever again. And he did keep that up for about two weeks. Mother couldn’t sway him. I couldn’t sway him. He was adamant.” Georgiana listened, her eyes widening in surprise, since she could never imagine Thor and Odin being anything other than thick as thieves. “And then one day,” Loki went on, absently brushing a stray strand of his wife’s hair out of her face, “we were taking a walk through the village and we happened to pass by these two drunken imbeciles who were making a mockery of the way our Father runs the kingdom. Before I even had time to blink, Thor had beaten them both down and was already halfway back to the palace.” He smiled and placed his fingers beneath her chin, closing her mouth for her, since her jaw had dropped in shock at that. “They made up that night and have never rowed like that since.”

 

Georgiana smiled and blushed at his touch. Loki couldn’t help thinking that she looked at her most attractive with a soft pink blush on her cheeks. “So you think there’s a chance that if one of his friends insults his wife, he’ll flip, even if he doesn’t seem to like her very much?”

 

“No doubt of it,” Loki replied, running a hand through her hair. “Let’s just hope it’s Volstagg that makes him angry; he’d come off best against Thor in a fight.”

 

Georgiana giggled. “Or Sif. Thor’s too much of a gentleman to hit a woman, after all.”

 

Loki pressed a kiss to her forehead and they sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the peace. A few bees buzzed around the flowers here and there. Georgiana imagined they were having a conversation, like those busy gossiping women back in Althrop; the ones who would strike up a conversation over the fishmonger’s cart about some scandalous gossip of the day – ‘I mean, really, Madame, did you ever hear of such a thing?’ ‘Oh, I know, dear; what is the Realm coming to these days?’ Or maybe they were arguing – ‘Hey, that’s my flower; go and find your own!’ ‘Well, I don’t see your name on it!’ She smiled to herself as they buzzed away, and then Loki roused her back to reality with a murmur of “It would probably be best if you brought it to her attention.”

 

“What do you mean?” Georgiana asked, raising her head.

 

“I mean if you were to tell Isolde what had happened,” Loki replied, thoughtfully. “I mean you could just say it casually, like “I don’t know what compelled Volstagg, or whoever, to say such a thing,” or “I’ve never seen Thor hit own of his own friends before,” or something.”

 

Georgiana smiled, mischievously. “You’ve really thought this all out, haven’t you, Loki?”

 

Loki chuckled. “Like setting up a prank; you have to think out all the details before putting it into practise.”

 

“Well, I suppose at worst, it could do absolutely nothing for Thor and Isolde, but at best it could make Isolde realise that there’s more to Thor than she thinks,” Georgiana mused.

 

With a smile, Loki picked her up. “I just hope the Warriors Three don’t kill me for ruining their friendship with Thor.”

 

“Don’t worry, I won’t let them,” Georgiana murmured, finally leaning up and kissing him.

 

They only found out what happened the next morning when they came across Fandral on his way out of the Healing Room with a bruise under his left eyelid. “I hate you,” he greeted Loki through gritted teeth.

 

Loki tried not to laugh. “You don’t seem to have come off too badly, my friend.”

 

“It worked, then?” Georgiana asked.

 

“Oh, yes, it worked!” Fandral spread his arms. “If you ever want to make Thor lose his temper again, by all means insult his wife! All I said was that I didn’t like her because she seemed a bit moody and whap!” He slammed his fist into his palm for emphasis. “I spent last night in the Healing Room with an icepack on my face!”

 

“It could have been worse,” Loki pointed out.

 

“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” sighed Fandral. “I mean, it _was_ only his fist and not the hammer. I just hope he forgives me.”

 

“He will,” Loki insisted. “Just give him some time to cool down.”

 

Fandral glanced at him. “He’d better, otherwise I’ll tell him who made me do it.” Then he stalked off, muttering under his breath “The things I do for friends.”

 

“Poor Fandral,” Georgiana smiled.

 

“I think it was you being adorable that made him change his mind about doing it,” Loki replied, slipping an arm around her waist.

 

Georgiana giggled. “Well, I think I should go and find Isolde and break it to her that her husband has very gallantly defended her honour. I will see you in the library, my Prince.”

 

Loki leaned down and kissed her once before she gave him a playful push, wriggled out of his grip and set off to find Isolde. She was out in the garden, sitting deep in thought by the fountain, although as Georgiana approached, she glanced in her direction and smiled brightly. “Georgiana! Come to join me?”

 

“I thought I might,” Georgiana smiled back.

 

“Oh, don’t tell me spending time with your husband is getting a bit too much for you,” Isolde teased.

 

“Never,” Georgiana replied, sitting down beside her friend. “I love spending time with Loki.”

 

“I wish I could say the same thing,” Isolde sighed.

 

Georgiana glanced at her. “Thor is alright, you know.”

 

“Oh, I know,” Isolde replied, “but let’s face it, there’s too much distance between us for us to be really happy together.”

 

“Maybe you just need to spend some time together,” Georgiana suggested, seeing her opening and approaching it cautiously.

 

“Well, what does he like doing?” Isolde asked, dully. “Apart from training for battle with his friends?”

 

“I’m not really sure,” Georgiana mused. “But I’m sure that Sif or Fandral would know, although of course he and Fandral aren’t friends at the moment.”

 

Isolde glanced at her in surprise. “Really? Why the change? I thought that lot were thick as thieves with him.”

 

“Well, they are,” Georgiana replied, casually, “but apparently Thor hit him yesterday for something he said. I haven’t spoken to him yet, but the healers were saying-”

 

“Healers?” Isolde sounded alarmed.

 

“Oh, don’t worry, they said he wasn’t hurt, just bruised under his eye,” Georgiana reassured her. “Anyway, I suppose he sort of had it coming. I mean, you’d think he’d know better than to insult you in front of Thor.”

 

Isolde stared at her. “What; you’re saying that Thor...was standing up for me?”

 

“Well, that’s what it sounded like,” Georgiana replied, shrugging but secretly pleased with herself. “I suppose even Thor has a sense of pride.”

 

“Yes...” Isolde glanced into the distance, but Georgiana could tell by her expression that her friend was touched that her husband had done such a thing for her. They were quiet for a minute and then Isolde got to her feet.

 

“Where are you off?” Georgiana asked, in surprise.

 

“I think I need to talk to my husband,” Isolde replied, sounding slightly distracted as she picked her way across the garden and waved absently to her friend. Georgiana smiled to herself as she waited for a moment until Isolde was out of sight and then made her way towards the library.

 

She found Loki inside with his feet up on one of the elegant sofas, his head buried in a book and so deeply absorbed by the subject matter that he didn’t even hear her come in. With a fond smile, Georgiana went up to him and kissed the top of his head. Loki glanced up at her with a smile. “What kept you?” he teased.

 

“Just because you men don’t converse in the same way with each other as we women do,” Georgiana teased back, before settling herself beside him, using his chest as a pillow. Loki wrapped an arm around her with a smile as she made herself comfortable. “So,” she added, “what are we reading today?”

 

Loki glanced at her, and then, with a mock look of exasperation, flicked back to the first page of the Midgardian classic and began to read aloud. “I was born twice. First in a wooden room that jutted out over the black waters of the Thames, and then again eight years later in the Highway, when the tiger took my in his mouth and everything truly began...”

 

***

 

Isolde only found herself alone with her husband that evening when he joined her in their room as she was preparing for bed. She turned to him as he began to undress himself, watching and observing. He was not bad looking, she decided; somewhat opposite to Loki in looks, his tousled hair golden and she couldn’t help but admire the muscles beneath his tunic. Watching him pull it off, she blushed and looked the other way. After all, they had yet to see one another naked. Their wedding night hadn’t even happened; she had retired early and been asleep in her nightdress before he had come in and passed out beside her. Now, though, she found herself wondering whether she didn’t at least want that; the love-making. After all, she had read so many things about it that caused her to believe it was something truly wonderful, and he looked like the kind of man who would be good at it.

 

When he had his sleep tunic and breeches on, at last and she could stop being distracted by his godly body, she turned properly to him, took a deep breath and said, in what she hoped was a casual tone, “You know, Georgiana told me something interesting earlier.”

 

Thor, surprised that she was making an effort to talk, took a moment to find his voice. “Oh, yes?” he finally replied, turning to her. “About what?”

 

“About something that happened with you and Fandral,” Isolde went on.

 

“Oh.” Thor wasn’t quite sure how to feel. “You...heard about that.”

 

“Yes, I did.”

 

“Well, I have no idea what came over him and I apologise on his behalf; he usually has more respect towards women than that, especially women in mine and Loki’s lives.”

 

Isolde stepped up to him. “You leapt to my defence. Thank you. I can’t remember the last time anyone’s ever done that for me.”

 

Thor managed a smile. “Well, from what I hear, it’s usually you standing up for others, like Georgiana.”

 

Then, in a gesture that surprised both of them, Isolde wrapped her arms about him and clung tightly to him. For a moment Thor was too stunned to even move and then somehow his arms went about her of their own accord. He felt solid, Isolde realised, but not like brick wall, more like a hardened wild animal. Yes, it was like being held by a bear, sturdy but warm, and actually rather appealing. Then, awkwardly, she pulled away from him and smiled. Thor returned it and then watched her climb into bed, both of them wondering what was suddenly happening to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The opening lines of Loki's book are from 'Jamrach's Menagerie' by Carol Birch, where the title of this fic also comes from.


	9. Here Comes The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki makes a suggestion, Thor and Isolde grow closer and Georgiana gets tired...

“You’re cheerful this morning,” Loki observed as Thor sat down beside him at the table. He and Georgiana had been deep in playful conversation until the thunderer himself had joined them early for breakfast. Even though to the untrained eye, Thor looked content at best, Loki knew his brother well enough to recognise the warm glow rolling off him by now, a sign that his brother was rather happy.

 

“Well, is there any reason I shouldn’t be?” Thor asked.

 

“Well, considering you punched Fandral yesterday,” Loki began.

 

“You hit Fandral?”

 

Georgiana bit back a laugh as both Loki and Thor stiffened like children caught sneaking out of lessons by their parents, and then simultaneously looked up at their Frigga. “He insulted Isolde,” Thor cut in before she could ask.

 

“Fandral?” Frigga didn’t sound like she believed it. “Well, why should he do that?”

 

“Perhaps it was the heat,” Georgiana suggested as her husband and his brother struggled to come up with an explanation as to why someone like Fandral would suddenly start insulting his friend’s relatives. “He was having a bit of a bad day as it was yesterday; he was already annoyed with Volstagg for something.”

 

That part at least was true. Loki gave her a secret smile of admiration as Frigga frowned for a second, then shrugged and took her seat. “But you are going to make up with him, right?” Loki asked, glancing at Thor.

 

“Eventually,” Thor agreed. “Don’t I always when we row?”

 

“I’m sure he didn’t really mean it,” Georgiana replied, reaching for her goblet. “You know what it’s like when people get stressed and go off on a rant like that; they end up only meaning half the things they say.”

 

“And it was a warm day,” Loki agreed. Beneath the table he brushed his foot against hers and couldn’t help feeling pleased when she returned the gesture.

 

Before anyone else could say anything, Isolde came into the room. “Sorry if I’m late,” she began, politely.

 

Frigga smiled at her, putting her at her ease. “You’re not, Isolde; my husband isn’t even here yet.”

 

Isolde smiled back and then as she slide gracefully into a seat beside Georgiana, she noticed Thor watching her and they exchanged a brief smile before Odin finally did come into the room. Of course, Loki and Georgiana noticed and couldn’t help feeling pleased with themselves.

 

“So, what is everyone up to today?” Odin asked when morning greetings had been exchanged.

 

Before anyone else could answer, Loki seized his chance. “Well, Thor and I were talking just now-”

 

“We were?” Thor interrupted and then felt Loki give him a swift kick under the table. He bit back a grunt of pain as Loki went on.

 

“And we were thinking that perhaps Isolde might like to see the Lakes on a day like this,” Loki finished, with a polite nod at Isolde. “I mean, Georgiana’s not seen them yet either, so we were thinking it would be something for the four of us to do together.”

 

“That sounds lovely,” Georgiana added, sincerely. Loki had told her about the Lakes – that vast parkland area where bluebells grew in the woods and Waterlillies grew on the surface of the lakes and where you could see the edge of the sea from the highest hill.

 

“It was Thor’s idea really,” Loki added, nudging Thor in the ribs before he could protest. “I just said it was a good idea.”

 

Thor, seeing he was boxed in and realising he’d have to put his plans for hang around with his friends, even Fandral, on hold for the day, looked over at Isolde asked “Would you like to join us?”

 

For a second he thought she was going to politely decline, but instead she smiled, almost shyly, and replied “I would, thank you.”

 

Thor returned her smile, and Georgiana noticed that he actually looked slightly nervous. Was this, she wondered, the beginnings of Thor and Isolde starting to _like_ one another at least? She crossed her fingers underneath the table.

 

“Well, you’ll have a good day for it,” Frigga commented, and Georgiana wondered if she had noticed Thor’s demeanour too.

 

So, with breakfast over, the four of them made their way out to the stables, and whilst Isolde was distracted with stroking Thor’s horse Torden as the stable boy tacked him up for the day’s ride, Thor managed to collar his brother and mutter to him “What are you up to?”

 

“Nothing,” Loki replied, innocently, “I just thought your wife might like to see the Lakes, that’s all.”

 

Thor watched him carefully, looking for any signs of him lying. It was too bad for him that his brother was so skilled in the art of it that it was sometimes difficult to tell where the truth ended and a lie began. So he glanced over at Georgiana and beckoned her over with his head and a call of “Georgiana.” Loki frowned as Thor folded his arms and addressed his sister-in-law. “Is your husband telling me the truth?”

 

Georgiana stifled a laugh. “Well, I suppose that depends on what you’re asking him, Thor.”

 

Loki grinned at her and before Thor could question her further, the stable boy cleared his throat and announced that the horses were ready. Tossing his brother a smug glance, Loki pulled himself up into the saddle and Georgiana smiled as he helped her up in front of him. To their surprise, Thor did the same with Isolde. She looked startled but grateful. “Thank you,” she murmured, quietly. “I haven’t ridden in a long time.”

 

Thor smiled back at her, and then remembering that they weren’t alone, added “It’s not a problem, my lady.”

 

“You’re in safe hands, Isolde,” Loki told her as they left the stables. “Thor and I have been riding since we were tall enough to get on a horse.”

 

“Which, if I remember correctly was, what, last year for you, Brother?” Thor teased.

 

Georgiana laughed. Loki made a pretence of being hurt by his brother’s words. “Thor! Why would you say something so cruel in front of my lady?”

 

“Don’t you listen to him, my Prince,” Georgiana smiled. “You are certainly taller than I am.”

 

“Well, that isn’t hard, little one,” Loki teased and received a soft elbow in the ribs for that.

 

“Well, at least I didn’t fall off my horse the first time I rode,” Thor laughed.

 

Loki shrugged. “Low blow, but I can still outride you any day, Brother!”

 

“Oh, really?” Thor raised an eyebrow. “Care to put that to the test?”

 

“Are you asking me to?”

 

“I’m challenging you to!”

 

Georgiana leaned towards Isolde. “I’m afraid this is what happens when you marry into royalty, Isolde.”

 

Isolde smiled. “And here I thought it would be boring. Seems I was wrong.”

 

“Very well, then,” Loki smirked at Thor. “I accept your challenge.”

 

Thor grinned, broadly. “To the Lakes?”

 

“To the Lakes!” With that, Loki kicked Sleipnir’s sides, causing the horse to whinney and charge forwards. Thor did the same with Torden, and both Georgiana and Isolde clung on for dear life as the wind whipped their hair and clothing and the ground threatened to rush up to greet them. But neither of them were frightened, it was rather exciting in a fast sort of way.

 

“You should let Thor win,” Georgiana whispered to Loki.

 

“I plan to,” Loki replied, and then as they came upon the path leading to the Lakes, he gave a small tug on the reins, slowing Sleipnir’s pace a fraction enough for Thor to take the lead, keeping a tight grip on Georgiana so that she didn’t slide off with the change of speed.

 

“Hah!” Thor exclaimed as he finally brought Torden to a halt, and turned to face his brother. “What was that you were saying, Loki?”

 

Loki, however, fixed his face into an expression of concern as they came up to join Thor and Isolde. “You alright, Georgiana?” he asked.

 

She cottoned on, quickly, and smiled up at him. “Yes, I’m fine. I just lost my grip there for a moment.”

 

Loki quickly dismounted and reached up to help her down. “Well, perhaps if I hadn’t been so concerned about my wife falling off, I might have beaten you, Brother.”

 

“Of course you would have,” Thor replied, in a tone that indicated he didn’t believe that for a minute.

 

“Men,” Georgiana sighed to Isolde, with a fond shake of her head.

 

“I know,” she agreed as Thor dismounted. “What _are_ we to do with them?”

 

Then, to her surprise, Thor offered her a hand down as well. Blushing slightly, she accepted and smiled as he helped her to the ground.

 

“So, this is the Lakes,” Georgiana said, quickly, to keep the moment from becoming awkward.

 

“Yes,” Loki replied, slipping his arms around her waist from behind.

 

“It looks so beautiful,” Isolde said.

 

Loki was distracted a second as Sleipnir began tearing up a clump of the nearby hedge. “Sleipnir, don’t do that,” he sighed, catching hold of the reins. Sleipnir simply snorted, blowing hot air over his master, and causing the others to laugh. Once the horses were tied up, Loki took Georgiana’s hand and smiled “Come on,” before leading her down the path littered with twisting trees and sweet-smelling flowers.

 

“It smells so gorgeous here,” Isolde murmured, absently slipping her arm through Thor’s as they followed Loki and Georgiana. “In a way, it reminds me of Irland.”

 

For the first time it occurred to Thor that it must be strange for his wife being so far away from her home island, permanently. “Do you miss it?” he asked.

 

“In a way. I miss the rugged beauty of it all. I mean Asgard’s beautiful too, but in a different way, like a piece of artwork. Irland might not look very beautiful on the outside but there was just something about the great rocks and wild seas that I loved so much.” She sounded a little mournful and, unconsciously, Thor patted her hand with his free one. She looked up at him in surprise and then smiled, shyly again. “But you don’t want to hear me bore you with all that.”

 

“On the contrary, I enjoy listening to anyone talk about their home country with such a passion,” Thor replied.

 

The four of them walked until they reached the bridge stretching across the width of the largest lake. The whole surface was flat as a mirror and one side of the bridge looked over a sea of pink and while lilies atop green pads. The other side was devoid of much pond life, apart from some green algae floating in one corner and a solitary bird pecking at some mud on the bank.

 

“It’s so peaceful here,” Isolde murmured, leaning on the railing.

 

Georgiana pulled herself up on the edge and sat with her feet dangling. “Don’t fall in,” Loki warned her. “Otherwise I’ll have to pull you out again.”

 

“I can swim,” Georgiana reminded him.

 

“I know, but what sort of husband would I be if I didn’t pull you out?” Loki asked, hoisting himself up beside her. “Anyway, the water’s deeper than it looks.”

 

“Colder than it looks as well,” Thor laughed, copying his brother by sitting on the edge of the bridge as well. “Do you remember that time we came here with Mother and Father?”

 

“Just after Father had to settle that peace treaty with Jötunheim?” Loki asked. “How could I forget? He wasn’t in the best of moods that day anyway, so Mother had the idea of bringing us all here,” he added by way of explanation to Georgiana and Isolde. “It was a day like today and I think she thought getting away from the palace for a while would be good for him.”

 

“And did it work?” Isolde asked.

 

“Not at first,” Thor replied. “Of course, _we_ were happy enough, running around all over the place, but Father still seemed put out, until we got here.”

 

“And what happened then?” Georgiana asked.

 

“Mother got so fed up of his bad mood that she did this,” Loki replied, giving Thor a push. Unfortunately he gave Thor a bit too much of a push, and Thor wasn’t holding onto the edge of the bridge properly. With a yelp of “Loki!” he toppled and landed in the water with a loud splash.

 

“Oops.” Loki was genuinely started as he hopped back onto the bridge and Georgiana and Isolde tried hard not to laugh.

 

“Thank you for that, Loki!” Thor grumbled as he surfaced.

 

“Sorry, Thor,” Loki apologized, genuinely meaning it. “I guess I don’t know my own strength.”

 

Isolde began to laugh. “Well, now you can use your excessive strength to help me out of here,” Thor replied, flushing as he reached up a hand to his brother.

 

Without thinking, Loki leaned over but the second his brother hand a grip on him, he gave an almighty pull and Loki yelped as he landed in the water beside him.

 

“Thor!” Georgiana exclaimed, although she was laughing now too. “Did you just pull my husband into the lake?”

 

Thor simply grinned as Loki surfaced and indignantly splashed his brother. “Not funny! Mine was an accident!”

 

Getting an idea, Georgiana quickly slipped off her shoes. Isolde glanced at her. “What are you doing?”

 

“Helping,” Georgiana replied as Thor sent a wave of water back at his brother, and then, clambering over the edge of the bridge she leapt and landed between them both in the water. Surfacing she giggled at the expressions on their faces. “Reinforcements,” she explained to Loki and then splashed Thor.

 

“Two on one isn’t fair!” Thor complained, as they both began to splash him and he gave back as much as he could. Isolde watched for a while and then, deciding that she’d rather not be a spectator but a player, slipped off her own shoes and joined them in the water.

 

“Oh, we’re facing the wrath of the Irlandish now, are we?” Loki teased.

 

“Oh, yes, Loki, you two have no idea who you’re dealing with!” Isolde returned with a laugh and a splash that soaked them both and caused Thor to laugh with delight.

 

In the end, it turned out to be one of the best days any of them had ever experienced in their entire lives. After the splash fight died down, the four of them relaxed, floating and swimming along until the bridge was out of sight, and then back to it again. They clambered out, the girls gathering their shoes up, and made for the nearest patch of grass beneath the shade of a weeping willow tree and lay for a while, talking and laughing and drying off. Then Loki took the opportunity to show off his magic skills (earning him a murmur of “Mm, that _is_ impressive,” from Isolde, a teasing of “Hands off, I saw him first,” from Georgiana and a half-hearted mutter of “Show off,” from Thor) and conjure up some food for them all. Then, what started off as a walk up to the highest hill turned into a race as Isolde and Georgiana began to run and the two Princes found themselves chasing after them.

 

Georgiana giggled as they finally reached the top, staggering into one another and then drew in what breath she had left in a soft gasp at the splendour that lay before them. Loki caught up with her and wrapped her in a hug from behind. “Caught you,” he murmured, kissing her cheek, softly.

 

“Oh this is just...” Isolde was lost for words for a minute. “Beautiful,” she decided on. Then, she turned to Thor with a smile. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

 

Thor glanced at Loki over the top of her head. Loki simply raised his eyebrows, a clear sign of ‘I told you this was a good idea,’ and then went back to nuzzling the top of Georgiana’s head. Thor met Isolde’s eyes and returned her smile. “You’re welcome.”

 

They stood for a while, the four of them, just gazing out across the Lakes, each content in their own thoughts. Georgiana felt her eyes beginning to close of their own accord. It was so peaceful here and the feeling of Loki’s arms around her, and his lips kissing her hair, was so soothing. Added to that, all the running had drained her energy and right now the thought of clambering into bed and snuggling down to sleep felt like the most appealing thing in the world.

 

“I wish we could stay up here forever,” Isolde murmured, somewhere close by.

 

“We’d be awfully cold if we did,” Thor replied, grinning. “Even you, Loki.”

 

“Possibly,” Loki replied, mischievously, his lips now close to her ear, kissing her cheek. His breath was warm and she could vaguely smell the wine they had been drinking as she pressed closer to him. The spell lasted for what felt like hours before they eventually decided to make their way back down the hill. Georgiana followed the others, slowly, like her feet had turned to stone, and moving them felt like an effort. She was feeling drowsy by now, and Loki quickly noticed the way she was lagging behind them.

 

“Georgiana?” He stopped, bringing her to a stop too, and she rubbed her eyes with a soft “Hm?”

 

“Are you alright?” Loki asked, concerned, placing his hands on her arms.

 

“Yes, I’m fine,” Georgiana murmured, with a tired smile. “That running just tired me out, I think.”

 

Loki watched her carefully, though, as he led her down the hill, and when she stumbled a little, not falling, but walking as if her feet weren’t quite sure of themselves, he shook his head and brought her to a stop again. “You’re asleep on your feet.”

 

“I’m alright,” Georgiana insisted, rubbing her eyes. To her surprise, however, Loki picked her up and began to walk down the hill with her in his arms. “Loki,” Georgiana protested, half-heartedly.

 

“I’m not having you falling,” Loki insisted with a smile.

 

Looking into his eyes, Georgiana knew that she would lose this argument before it even began, so she gave in, smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head against his shoulder.

 

A little way ahead of them, Thor and Isolde suddenly realised their companions weren’t with them and turned about to see what going on. “What’s happened?” Isolde asked, suddenly worried for her friend.

 

Loki smiled as he came up to them. “Georgiana’s tired.”

 

“You make me sound like a child, Loki,” Georgiana complained into his shoulder.

 

Loki simply laughed, lightly, and took the lead, with Thor and Isolde watching them fondly. “They are such a sweet couple,” Isolde smiled, before glancing at Thor. “I’m glad she’s with someone who loves her. She was bullied a bit in school because people were jealous of her and didn’t believe she was really betrothed to a Prince.”

 

“You did, though, didn’t you?” Thor asked, remembering something Georgiana had told him.

 

“Oh, yes, _I_ did,” Isolde replied, “and I defied anyone to say I was wrong. But you know how people can be sometimes.”

 

Thor nodded, thoughtfully. “Did they bully you?”

 

“Hel, no, Thor,” Isolde replied, stoutly. “I’m Irlandish; and our motto is “Fight until everyone’s dead!”

 

Thor laughed. “Strangely enough, that’s mine too! On a battlefield, anyway!” And Isolde laughed too.

 

“Come on!” Loki called in front, pivoting to face them. “I’m not carrying you two as well!”

 

Georgiana giggled.

 

“You wouldn’t be able to!” Thor laughed as he and Isolde jogged to catch up to him.

 

Somehow or other, Georgiana managed to stay awake enough on the ride back not to fall off Sleipnir, although the others watched her carefully just in case, and when they were eventually back in Asgard, Loki picked her up again, ignoring her murmurs of “I can make the stairs by myself, Loki.”

 

Isolde laughed. “Are you always this stubborn, Georgiana?”

 

“It’s called the “Principle of the Thing,” Georgiana mumbled into the crook of Loki’s neck.

 

Frigga met them as they reached the top step, on her way to the Healing Room. Her eyes were instantly alight with worry at the sight of her youngest son carrying his wife. “Is everything alright?” she asked.

 

“Georgiana’s tired,” replied Thor, in a way that sounded like teasing.

 

“I’m not tired,” Georgiana insisted, still speaking into Loki.

 

“Then why am I carrying you?” Loki laughed.

 

“Because you love me,” Georgiana replied.

 

The others smiled as Loki pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Well, you’re not wrong there,” he pointed out, and then he made for their room.

 

“You really didn’t _have_ to carry me all the way,” Georgiana insisted as he set her on her feet, and then, with her arms still around him, added “But it was very sweet of you, and thank you.”

 

“You’re very welcome,” Loki replied, leaning down to kiss her.

 

“Mm,” Georgiana murmured, breaking free for a moment, “and your little plan for the day seems to have worked. Thor and Isolde seemed to be getting on very well together.”

 

“I know,” Loki smirked, kissing her again.

 

“You really don’t get tired of being right all the time, do you?” Georgiana teased.

 

“Never,” Loki insisted, before picking her up and carrying her over to the bed. Georgiana would have gladly let him make love to her there and then, but her eyes were closing again and she had to pull away to stifle a yawn. Loki smiled, fondly, running a hand through her hair. “I’ll be with you in a minute, dove.”

 

Georgiana nodded and then flopped down on her side of the bed, her eyes drifting shut. Loki quickly magicked the sheets over her and then left the room to find his Mother. She was in the Healing Room by now, packing away her potions and lotions, having just cured someone. She smiled as he came in. “So...it was a good day today then?”

 

Loki smiled. “Yes, but it took its toll on Georgiana. She’s asleep already.”

 

“Very well, then, I’ll tell the servants we’ll be minus two for dinner tonight.” Frigga paused, thoughtfully. “Tell me, Loki, this whole business with Thor and Fandral...you didn’t have anything to do with it, did you?”

 

“No.” Loki said it with a perfectly straight face and innocent tone, but Frigga knew her son all too well to know that this was his automatic reaction, to deny first and then possibly tell the truth later.

 

“Loki,” she said, warningly, one hand on her hip.

 

Loki looked a little sheepish. “I may have done.”

 

“I thought as much,” Frigga replied. “You could have seriously damaged their friendship.”

 

Loki smiled. “Not if I know Thor. He and Fandral will be friends again by the end of the week.”

 

“I hope you’re right,” Frigga mused. “So, will you tell me why you were involved?”

 

“Because I know how protective Thor can get of what belongs to him and I thought Isolde might be touched that he defend her honour,” Loki answered, quite honestly this time. Frigga raised her eyebrows but said nothing. “I just want him to be...happier,” Loki admitted. “About being married to her.”

 

“Loki, it’s a kind gesture, but Thor and Isolde need to figure out their feelings towards one another on their own,” Frigga replied, with her usual motherly concern.

 

Loki nodded. “I know.”

 

“I mean, you wouldn’t have wanted someone trying to push you and Georgiana towards one another, would you?” Frigga added.

 

To be honest, Loki hadn’t thought of that, but he supposed that she was right. He wouldn’t want anyone else interfering in his and Georgiana’s relationship. He sighed. “You’re right. Alright. We’ll leave them to it.”

 

“Good.” Frigga smiled. “Believe it or not, I want your brother to be making the best of this too. But-”

 

“I know,” Loki cut in. “It’s not the same as it was for me and Georgiana.”

 

Frigga patted his arm and went back to her work. Loki took it as his cue to leave and went back to Georgiana. She hadn’t moved from where he had left her, but as he pulled off his boots and slid in beside her, not bothering to undress, she shifted closer to him and made a small sigh of contentment. He was briefly reminded of their very first meeting, when he was three and she four days old.

 

“Sleep well, my love,” Loki murmured, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.

 

“Mm, sleep well, Loki,” Georgiana murmured back before finally falling asleep in his embrace.

 


	10. Heartbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgiana experiences loss for the first time and Loki tries to make her feel better...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how you lot feel about how fluffy this story is (I know it probably lacks excitement in some areas) but I quite like it. And some exciting stuff will happen in later chapters, I promise!
> 
> (Drepe celler means "killer cells" in Norwegian, according to Google Translate; it's meant to be the Asgard version of Cancer)

The next day brought with it rain, and a great deal of it. In a way, it was as if the weather knew what was coming and as reflecting what the mood of the day would be, as if the sky was crying too.

 

Like most days, however, it didn’t start with tears or sorrow, not for the occupants of the palace. Rather, everyone seemed in a cheery mood. Thor had managed to collar Fandral before bed and apologise to him for the punch, which had in turn prompted Fandral to apologise for the insults and claim that he had no idea what had come over him but it was probably due to him being annoyed with Volstagg for something that day anyway – he didn’t disclose what and Thor didn’t bother asking, after all, of all the Warriors Three, they were the two most likely to argue with one another – and they were friends again. So he had no reason to be in a bad mood, and neither did anyone else.

 

Georgiana hadn’t even expected to get a letter today anyway. She and her family had been in touch often, but with all that had happened since the war, she just hadn’t thought about them as much. Of course she had written to reassure them that everyone was alright at the palace after the war, that her husband had scraped through with some bruises and one serious injury and everyone else had come out of it virtually unharmed, and her mother had sent back a note to say “Thank goodness,” but since then she hadn’t heard anything from Althrop. So she hadn’t been expecting to today either.

 

“I’m still tired,” she insisted, when Loki, who was already fully dressed, tried to get her out of bed.

 

“Still?” Loki repeated, incredulously. “You slept the whole afternoon yesterday.”

 

“Mm, but as you’ll recall I woke up in the night and tried to take advantage of you while you were sleeping,” Georgiana reminded him, speaking into her pillow without opening her eyes.

 

“Tried and failed,” Loki teased, kissing her bare shoulder. It was true. He had woken up, and after punishing her by tickling her until she squealed for mercy, he had made sweet love to her until the small hours.

 

“I’m too comfortable,” Georgiana murmured, reaching around behind her and catching hold of his hand, lacing her fingers through his. “Stay here with me.”

 

Loki smiled. “Much as you know I’d love nothing more, dove, I can’t. Duties, remember.”

 

Georgiana sighed, dramatically. “Just my luck to marry a Prince.”

 

Loki moved closer to her, slipping an arm about her and she sighed and pressed her back against him, moving into his touch. “Well, when I’m done, I’ll be waiting for you in the library, and if you’re still in bed by then, I’m going to come back here and I won’t stop tickling you even when you _do_ beg for mercy.”

 

Georgiana opened her eyes and glanced around at him. Meeting his mischievous look, she managed a smile. “You’re a cruel man, my Prince,” she teased.

 

Loki smiled and kissed her. “I’ll see you in a few hours, my love.”

 

Georgiana nodded, sleepily, and then flopped back down against her pillow again. “I love you,” she added as she heard the door open.

 

Loki turned and smiled at her bare shoulders and mussed hair. “I love you too,” he replied, before leaving, closing the door quietly behind him. Georgiana found, however, that she only slept for half an hour before she was fully awake again, but as she slid out of bed and reached for her robe, she noticed that she felt refreshed. Sometimes it was amazing what a good sleep could do for you. Glancing out of the window, she couldn’t help feeling a twinge disappointed by the weather, but then, she thought, they had made the best of the sun the day before, and she went to bathe feeling somewhat perked up by that thought.

 

She lingered somewhat with bathing, but was quick about her dressing, noting to herself that she wanted to get to the library perhaps before Loki did. She was not going to give him the opportunity to torture her again like he had last night. Alright, she couldn’t help smiling to herself, so perhaps “torture” was too strong a word, after all, she hadn’t been in any pain and Loki had sworn that he would never do anything to hurt her, but she was a little annoyed that he now knew one of her weak spots and could use it to his advantage if he wished to. She wondered inwardly if she could find any of his, torment him in that way.

 

Just as she was making her way towards the library, a servant almost ran into her.

 

“Begging your pardon, Your Highness,” he gabbled, holding out a plain cream envelope. “But this has just arrived for you. I was told to deliver it straight to you.”

 

“Thank you,” Georgiana replied, cordially, taking the envelope, and the servant hurried off again before she could reveal what it contained. Looking it over, Georgiana recognised her mother’s handwriting and leaned against the nearest pillar as she broke the seal and opened it.

 

Anyone in the corridor at the time would have noticed the change in her as she read it; the way her eyes widened slightly and her smile fell and the little drawing in of breath in alarm and then finally allowing the letter, which she hadn’t finished reading, to fall to the floor, along with the envelope as her eyes filled with tears, she gave an enormous sob and ran from the corridor.

 

En route to her room, she ran into Isolde, quite literally. Isolde caught hold of her with a worried frown. “Whoa, hey, Georgiana, what is it? What’s wrong?”

 

Georgiana was too emotional to speak, and deciding that she’d rather be alone, she quickly wriggled from her friend’s grip and threw herself into her room.

 

“Georgiana?” Isolde stared after her, wondering what in the Nine Realms could have happened, and then common sense prevailed, and she quickly ran to knock on the door. “Georgiana, please talk to me. What’s happened?”

 

“Isolde, please,” Georgiana sobbed, curling up on the bed. “I don’t want...” The words stuck in her throat and she took a deep, shuddering breath, shaking her head. “Please...just let me be...”

 

Isolde frowned, wondering what could have possibly upset her so much, and then, making up her mind, set off towards the courtroom. Along the way she chanced upon the fallen letter, and suddenly it all made sense. Taking a deep breath, she rounded the corner and almost collided with Thor and Loki.

 

“I didn’t know you were so eager to see me,” Thor teased.

 

Isolde offered him a brief smile and then held out the letter to Loki. “You need to see this. Georgiana just ran into your room in floods of tears and...this is why.”

 

With a frown, Loki took the letter and read it quickly. It wasn’t long.

 

_Dear Georgiana,_

_I don’t know how the easiest way to break this to you is, so I’m just going to come right out and say it. Your Father’s ill, really ill. We think it might be Drepeceller, and as you know, not even the people of Asgard have developed a cure for that. It doesn’t look good. I think at best he must only have a few days, if that, before..._

_We’ve sent for doctors anyway, but it doesn’t look good, my darling. He’s been asking for you; can you get here as quickly as possible?_

_Much love_

_Mother_

“What is it?” Thor asked.

 

Loki simply thrust the letter at him and ran for their room as quickly as he could manage. Georgiana didn’t look up as he came in, she simply curled up tighter into herself, crying enough tears to floor a river. “Georgiana,” Loki murmured, climbing onto the bed beside her and pulling her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, darling.”

 

Georgiana wanted to say something, anything, but her throat was too constricted with sobs to make coherent sentences, so she simply clung to him and continued crying. Loki stroked her hair, murmuring soothingly to her and occasionally kissing the top of her head, wishing that there was a way that he could somehow fix this, make it all better, but Margaret was right; not even Asgard had medicine to cure Drepeceller. They were working on finding a cure, but so far their efforts hadn’t yielded one. Midgardians had this illness, he knew, on Earth, only they called it something else, and they hadn’t found a cure for it yet either.

 

“I need to be there,” Georgiana managed to choke out finally. “I have to...”

 

She was cut off by another heavy sob. Loki nodded and kissed her hair again. “I’ll come with you.”

 

Georgiana wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath. “Loki, it’s alright, you don’t have to-”

 

“I’m coming,” Loki insisted, firmly, and she looked up at him, her eyes puffed and red, he felt terrible for not being able to do something more for her at that moment. “I’m not going to let you go through something like this on your own.”

 

Georgiana tried to smile but she couldn’t manage it. “Thank you,” she replied, her voice heavy as she hugged him tightly. “We need to go soon.”

 

“We need to go now,” Loki corrected her, gently, kissing her once more before sliding from the bed and ordering a servant to have the carriage made ready for Althrop. Georgiana sat up, wiping away more tears and trying to compose herself. One thing her Father had always taught her was to be brave, even when facing the worst possible thing in the world, to put a brave face on it. “Keep calm and carry on,” he would say to her. “Remember that, Georgiana.”

 

Taking her hand, Loki led her from the room as she finally managed to stop crying. To their surprise, Frigga met them at the carriage. “Oh, Georgiana,” she murmured, giving her a hug and Georgiana bit back more tears at how kind she was. “I know there’s not much I can do, but I wouldn’t feel right not trying to help at least.”

 

Georgiana nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered.

 

Odin was already in the carriage too when they climbed in, which also surprised her, but then she remembered that he and her Father were old friends. Her surprise must have shown on her face, for he murmured to her as she settled herself against the seat “I think I can rely on my eldest son not to ruin Asgard in a day,” and again she tried to smile but just couldn’t manage it. Loki climbed in beside her and just held her in silence the whole way there. No one else tried to make her talk either and Georgiana was grateful for that, because she just needed the silence and nothing else.

 

The journey seemed to take a lifetime, and the rain kept up the entire time. The second they pulled up, Georgiana flung herself from the carriage and sprinted into the house, seeking the comfort of her Mother’s arms. Loki watched her go and sighed, once again wishing he didn’t feel so useless.

 

“There’s nothing you can do, Loki,” Frigga murmured, patting his shoulder. “There’s nothing that anyone can do.”

 

“There _should_ be something I can do, though,” Loki sighed. “I can’t stand seeing her so upset and knowing I can’t do anything to make it better.”

 

“Being there for her _is_ doing something,” Odin replied, wisely. Remembering what he had once told Thor, about loving Georgiana, about being the one to wipe away her tears for her, Loki nodded and made his way quickly into the house, followed closely by his parents. One of the servants inside informed them that Miss Georgiana had gone up to her parents’ bedroom and directed them how to get there. They were met outside the room by Margaret, who looked as though she had been crying too.

 

“Oh, Frigga,” she sighed, taking her friend’s hands in her own. “I’m so glad to see you all, and so sorry that it has to be at such a terrible time.” She looked at Odin, sympathetically. “I’m afraid the doctors aren’t very hopeful that he’ll even get through today.”

 

“John is a fighter, Margaret,” Odin tried to reassure her. “He’ll battle this through until the end.”

 

Margaret nodded. “Yes, he’s always been stubborn like that.” Then, turning to Loki, she, like her daughter, she attempted to smile. “I’m sure he’d welcome a visit from his son-in-law, too.”

 

Loki noted it as her subtle way of giving him permission to go in and be with his wife at this moment, nodded and went into the room. Georgiana, sitting beside her Father in his bed, turned her head and gave him a grateful look. “Look who’s here,” she said to John, who raised his own head and smiled, bravely. “Loki, my boy.”

 

The illness was taking its toll on him already. He was looking a great deal more frail than the last time Loki had seen him, and thinner too. Nevertheless, Loki came up and took the hand proffered to him as John beamed between the pair of them. “From what I hear, you’ve been taking extremely good care of my daughter, and for that I couldn’t be more grateful to you. Thank you.”

 

“It’s my pleasure,” Loki replied, truthfully, quite unable to believe that this was the same strong man, a picture of perfect health, who had given Georgiana away to him on their wedding day.

 

“I always knew that betrothing her to one of Odin’s boys was a good idea,” John went on. “I knew she would be more than cared for; loved.” He fixed Loki with a knowing expression. “And I was right, wasn’t I?”

 

Loki smiled. “You were.”

 

“You couldn’t not be, could you?” Georgiana asked, trying to sound bright, but her eyes were filling with tears again. Loki quickly slipped his hand into her free one, giving it a comforting squeeze, and she looked up at him, gratefully.

 

“Of course not,” her Father teased, lightly. “Parents are always right; remember that when you two have children of your own. Tell them that.”

 

“We will, Papa,” Georgiana whispered. John then began to cough alarmingly and she started. “Papa!” She turned to Loki. “The doctor, quick.” Before Loki could move, however, John waved a hand at him.

 

“No, no, I’m alright, really.” He sighed and relaxed into his pillow. “It’s just all catching up with me now. They say it probably developed unnoticed about a year ago.”

 

“A year?” Loki repeated.

 

“Yes,” John agreed. “Still, I’m just glad it wasn’t the war that did it.” Then, after another brief cough, he added “And I’m glad I got to see you two married.”

 

Georgiana bit her lip, unable to stand how brave he was being. “Papa...”

 

Before she could finish, Margaret came in, with Frigga and Odin, and John’s eyes lit up with delight. “Ah! Odin, Frigga, good to see you again, and sorry that I’m in bed.”

 

“Nonsense,” Odin replied, taking John’s hand in both of his own, the Brothers Clasp, as they called it. “You have every right to be taking it easy.”

 

“I brought some medicine from Asgard,” Frigga added, opening her bag. “It might make you feel a bit better, although I’m afraid...”

 

“Oh, I know, Frigga,” smiled John, gently. “Nothing can cure this. You needn’t feel bad for me. Anyway, now sounds about right anyway. I’ve had my share of adventures, fought my share of battles, married, seen my daughter raised a lady and given her to a good man...I really can’t think what else I’ve got left to do in these Nine Realms.”

 

Georgiana knew she would have to leave soon, otherwise she would start crying again. “I’ll be back in a moment, Papa,” she said, softly, leaning down to kiss his cheek. “I love you.”

 

Her Father hugged her and then, extending an arm to Loki, pulled him into the embrace too. “Take care of her, my son,” he whispered.

 

Loki nodded. “I promise.”

 

Then, extracting herself, Georgiana slipped from the room and stopped only when she reached the bench a little way down the corridor, carved from wood, where she and her Father had sometimes sat to read, or play cards together. Loki joined her a second later, crouching in front of her and taking her hands. She looked up at him, feeling her tears start again. “I just wish...there was something I could do...” she whispered, brokenly. “Because I just feel so useless, just sitting here and talking as if...as if...”

 

“I know, dove,” Loki murmured, brushing her hair off her face. “And I wish there was something I could do to stop you from hurting like this...”

 

Georgiana looked into his eyes, feeling that she couldn’t have wished for a better husband in him, even if she had tried. “Hold me,” she breathed.

 

Loki complied, wrapping her in a tight embrace and they sat there in silence, even though the silence felt so loud, somehow, as if they could literally hear time passing by. How could this have happened, when yesterday they were running around in the sunshine with Thor and Isolde, laughing and having fun and not knowing all the while that someone they both cared about was suffering? How could a day as wonderful as that have been followed by one as dark as this?

 

Suddenly the door opened and Margaret called, fearfully, for the doctors. Both Loki and Georgiana stiffened and then looked up to see them running into the room. Georgiana felt her heart leap as she threw herself out of Loki’s arms and leapt to her feet, but her journey to the room was brought up short by Frigga catching hold of her arms, gently, and stopping her.

 

“Georgiana...”

 

She trailed off.

 

Georgiana felt like her world had come crashing down and she collapsed to the ground in a flood of hysterical tears. Loki was by her side in an instant, picking her up off the ground and holding her. He couldn’t speak, he was too shocked. Frigga’s own eyes were filled with tears as she squeezed Georgiana’s hand.

 

“At least he was with all who loved him,” she whispered.

 

Georgiana knew that her words were meant to be a comfort, but somehow they just weren’t. Of course, she couldn’t bring herself to say that, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything because she was so upset, so instead she just sobbed out all her anguish, all her sorrow, as Loki held onto her, clinging to him as if he was her lifeline.

 

***

 

The days that followed were something of a blur; all Georgiana was aware of was that there was a funeral and that she managed to keep from crying long enough to attend it. After it was over, she went straight to their room, curled up on the bed and just cried. Loki knew that it was what she needed, but he stayed close by her side anyway, in case he was needed. Three days later, although it felt like three years, however, she hadn’t moved from that spot, except to occasionally drag herself into the bathroom, and hadn’t done anything other than cry, and snatch a few hours of sleep during the nights. She hadn’t even eaten anything, having no appetite for food, and Loki was concerned that she couldn’t go without food much longer.

 

“Don’t force her to eat,” Frigga advised when Loki voiced his worries to her. “It’s not good to force food down when your body doesn’t want it. She’ll eat when she’s ready to.”

 

“You make her sound like a wounded animal,” Loki sighed, and then reflected how she was right about the “wounded” part. Georgiana had just lost one of her parents; she had a wound in her heart that nothing could fill but that one she had lost.

 

She hadn’t seen anyone else either, but Loki. Isolde had tried to visit her a few times, but each time Georgiana had insisted that she didn’t want to see anyone, and so she had given up; the same with Thor, and Frigga and Odin. Her not getting any fresh air couldn’t be doing her any good either, Loki thought.

 

“All she needs right now is to deal with this in her own way,” Frigga replied, patiently, laying her hand on his arm, “and for you to let her know that she doesn’t have to do it alone.”

 

Loki thought about that all night, and by the time the morning had rolled around, he had an idea of what to do.

 

“Georgiana?” He moved closer to her, wrapping her in an embrace from behind. “Darling, please talk to me. Seeing you like this is killing me. I know you’re hurting, but you don’t have to hurt alone.”

 

Georgiana was quiet a moment and then she whispered “I just don’t know what to do, how to go on. I’ve never known pain like this before.”

 

Loki kissed the back of her head and then murmured “Come on.”

 

Georgiana turned to him, her face streaked with dried tear tracks. “What?”

 

“I’m going to take care of you,” Loki replied, wiping the traces away, gently. “Like I promised to. Come on.”

 

Like a trusting child, Georgiana finally allowed herself to be eased out of bed and Loki led her into the bathroom. Using magic, he filled the bathtub, getting the water to just the right temperature and then turned to her. “Will you let me bathe you?”

 

She nodded and allowed him to remove her clothes before climbing slowly into the bath. The water felt so soothing, so welcoming, and she uttered a soft sigh as she leaned back against the back of the tub, steam rising slowly around her in swirling spirals. Loki knelt down beside her, picked up the sponge and began to wash her, gently. Georgiana watched him, trusting him like she always did, her skin tingling under his gentle touch.

 

“Do you want me to wash your hair for you?” Loki murmured.

 

Georgiana nodded and then sat up a little for him to do so. Loki slowly coated her golden locks in a thick layer of white foam and she closed her eyes as he massaged her scalp, soothingly. Once again she marvelled at how he didn’t pull but worked his way through her hair gently as he rinsed her off and then found a towel for her. It was a warm one too, as if it had just been near the fire, and unbelievably soft and fluffy as he wrapped it about her and began to dry her carefully with it. She was reminded of that day they had spent at the beach together, when he had dried her off then, and how he had said that he liked taking care of her. And right now, she realised, she needed it, she needed some looking after.

 

“What were you thinking of wearing today?” Loki asked, leading her back into the bedroom.

 

Georgiana crossed over to their vast wardrobe and pulled open the doors. Half of Loki’s clothes hung on one side, whilst the other half was filled with her clothes. She hesitated and then pulled out one of her more simple Asgardian-style dresses; which looked something like a long tunic, pale green with long, narrow sleeves, and trimmed with black and gold. “This one, I think,” she murmured, dropping her towel and allowing Loki to dress her. Once she was dressed, she let him dry and brush her hair before nodding to his suggestion that he fetch a book and read to her.

 

They were halfway through it, with Loki lying on his back and Georgiana snuggled up beside him, her head and one of her hands on his chest whilst his arm went around her waist, when her thoughts started drifting from the story and elsewhere. Her Father was gone, and it hurt knowing that, but one the other hand, she reflected, he wouldn’t want her to be mourning for him like this. He would want her to be happy, to move forward in her life, and with Loki she could do that, because he loved her and wanted to take care of her and make her happy. And she was never alone with him, or at all in Asgard either, she had Odin and Frigga and Thor and Isolde and Sif and the Warriors Three, people who cared about her and didn’t want to see her suffering like this.

 

“Loki,” she murmured.

 

Loki stopped reading and glanced at her. “What is it?” he asked, not sure if he ought to be worried or not.

 

“I’m getting a bit hungry now,” Georgiana confessed.

 

Relieved, Loki closed the book. “What, for food? Or for me?”

 

For the first time in days, Georgiana laughed. “Food.”

 

“Alright,” Loki replied, sliding out from under her and getting to his feet.

 

Georgiana caught his arm. “But I might be hungry for you later, so...”

 

“I will keep my afternoon free for you,” Loki smiled, leaning down to kiss her.

 

“I love you, Loki,” Georgiana whispered.

 

“I love you too, my darling,” Loki murmured back.

 

She smiled and then, opening her eyes, asked “When did you start calling me that, exactly?”

 

Loki shrugged. “It just sort of slipped out the other day. It felt...right.”

 

Georgiana nodded. “I like it. My Prince,” she added, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him again. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

 

“You’re welcome, my love,” Loki replied, kissing her once more before going to the door and collaring a servant to bring them both something to eat. Georgiana curled her legs up, like the statue of a mermaid she had once seen in a book, and played with the edge of the duvet until he was back beside her again. Loki stroked her cheek, gently. “I know it’s going to sound incredibly stupid my asking this, but, are you alright?”

 

She nodded. “I mean, it still hurts, but I don’t think Papa would want me to be sad all the time for him.” She took a deep breath and added “I just wish that it hadn’t been so painful for him in the end.”

 

Loki nodded. “But at least you got to say goodbye, and tell him you loved him. Now he can enter Valhalla happy.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “Yes. Yes, you’re right. And at least his suffering _is_ over now.”

 

Loki watched her in silence for a moment. “You are like him, you know,” he said, causing her to look up him. He brushed the tip of her nose with one finger. “A little. I think it’s your wisdom. Or your kindness. Or your intelligence, or-”

 

“Loki,” Georgiana interrupted, teasingly, “are you just trying to flatter me now?”

 

Loki dropped his hand with a smile. “I’m trying to make you feel better.”

 

Georgiana reached up and wound her arms around his neck. “Well, it’s working,” she breathed, and then she kissed him again.

 


	11. "Confession or Challenge?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor, Loki, Georgiana, Isolde, Sif and the Warriors Three play the Asgard version of Truth or Dare - what could possibly go wrong?

“Confession or Challenge?”

 

Loki couldn’t help rolling his eyes and wondering how the Hel they had managed to end up playing this silly game from their childhood. The day had started out rather normally enough for him. Georgiana had finally decided to venture out of their room, after they had breakfasted there together, and had instantly been hugged by Isolde and Thor upon doing so.

 

_“Hey, I was getting worried about you,” Isolde said and Georgiana gave her a tired smile._

_“I’m alright now,” she insisted. “I mean, I’m better. It still hurts, but not as much as before.”_

_“Georgiana, I am so sorry,” Thor said, pulling her into an embrace of his own. “John was a good man. We all loved him.”_

_“Thank you, Thor,” Georgiana whispered. “That means a lot to me.” Then, with a small smile, she added as she pulled away from him “I never took you for a hugger.”_

_“That’s only because you’ve never seen him after a nightmare,” Loki quipped, mischievously, and then protested as Thor jokingly pulled him into a headlock and Isolde and Georgiana both laughed. After that they had made their way down to the training ground, where they had been met by Sif and the Warriors Three. At once, Sif had come to Georgiana and wrapped her in a sympathetic hug._

_“I’m sorry about your Father,” she said, kindly. “We all are. He seemed nice when we met him.”_

_“And no person should ever have to suffer through an illness like that,” Hogun added, bowing his head, respectfully, “nice or not.”_

_“Thank you,” Georgiana murmured, returning Sif’s hug._

_Fandral, meanwhile, sidled up to Isolde and Thor. “My Lady,” he said to Isolde, “I believe I owe you an apology, and an explanation. I have no personal objection to you and your people whatsoever. That day I spoke out of turn, I was already having a bad day of it and I offer my sincerest apologies for it.”_

_Isolde smiled, graciously, and dipped a small curtsey. “Apology accepted, Fandral, and thank you.”_

_And that had been it. Rather than get any actual training done, the eight of them had simply sat around the steps and just talked, and somehow the conversation had turned into this game._

“Challenge, of course,” Thor laughed. “What else?”

 

Sif’s brow furrowed. “Um...Isolde, what should I make your husband do?”

 

“Hm,” Isolde thought for a moment, “well, you could-”

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Thor protested, waving his hands. “That’s not how this game works! Sif has to think of something on her own!”

 

“Well, I can’t think of anything!” Sif insisted.

 

“You could challenge him to jump in the fountain naked,” Loki suggested.

 

“You’re not helping!” Thor told him. Georgiana laughed. “Anyway, there are ladies present.”

 

“Only two,” Fandral joked, and then received a thump for his troubles. “Ow! Jesting, Sif!”

 

“Oh, come on!” Thor cried. “You must be able to think of something! And **not** Loki’s idea!” he added as Loki opened his mouth to speak.

 

Sif smiled. “Very well, Thor, I won’t challenge you to jump into the fountain naked.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“I challenge you to jump into the garden pond naked instead.”

 

“What?”

 

“You think outside the box,” Loki commented to Sif. “I’m impressed.”

 

“Go on, then, Thor,” Volstagg grinned. “You’ve been Challenged. You have to accept.”

 

“Norns,” Thor groaned, clambering to his feet and beginning to strip off. “Cover your eyes,” he added to the women, and they did so. Isolde, however, couldn’t help stealing a few glances between her fingers at him and she was more than impressed with what she saw. Finally discarding his underclothes, Thor sighed and with a mutter of “I’m going to get you for this,” to Sif, he ran down the length of the garden, which, thankfully, was empty, and the others watched from their positions as he leapt and landed in the pond with a loud splash.

 

Fandral laugh. “I can’t believe he did that!”

 

“I can,” Volstagg chuckled.

 

“Um, Loki, a little help?” Thor called, not wishing to stand up fully exposed. Loki quickly conjured up a small towel that hit him in the face. “Thank you!” Thor called and then, seeing that the towel was about the size of a flannel, called out “Oh, come on, I need something bigger than that!”

 

“Do you?” Loki teased, before throwing a larger towel his way. Georgiana giggled, pressing closer to him, and Loki couldn’t help smiling. She was sitting on the step below his, between his legs, and he had his arms around her, one about her shoulders and the other wrapped around her waist. Georgiana absently found his hands with hers and laced her fingers through his. Loki pressed a kiss to the back of her head as Thor joined them again, wrapped in the towel and grumbling to himself as he reached for his clothes. “Pity we didn’t think to hide them,” Loki commented and then received the dry flannel in his own face for that.

 

Georgiana gave a mock gasp. “Thor, how dare you abuse my husband?”

 

Thor grinned at her. “I’m surprised _you_ don’t, Georgiana; that way you could keep him in line.”

 

“Perhaps I _like_ my men wild and intelligent,” Georgiana replied, lightly.

 

“It’s your turn, Thor,” Isolde pointed out.

 

Thor pondered who his victim would be as he pulled his tunic over his head. “Fandal, Confession or Challenge?”

 

“Confession,” Fandral replied, deciding to be on the safe side.

 

“If you could only save Volstagg or Hogun from certain death, who would you pick?” Thor asked, quick as lightning.

 

“Oh, no!” Fandral groaned as both Volstagg and Hogun turned to him expectantly. “I can’t choose; I love you both equal measures!”

 

“Tough, you have to pick one,” Thor grinned.

 

“Then I pick neither,” Fandral replied. “I’d let you both die and then kill myself so we can all party together in Valhalla!”

 

“Very wise,” Isolde smiled.

 

“Thank you,” Fandral grinned as Volstagg clapped him on the shoulder. “Right, um, Georgiana, Confession or Challenge?”

 

“Confession,” Georgiana replied.

 

Fandral thought for a second and then a wicked grin spread over his face as he came up with a way to get Loki back for causing him to be punched by Thor. “Alright, what’s Loki like in bed?”

 

“You can’t ask her that!” Thor exclaimed as Loki glared at Fandral.

 

“No, it’s alright,” Georgiana replied, sitting up a little straighter in Loki’s arms. “In answer to your question, Fandral, Loki is wonderful and even if he weren’t I wouldn’t consider you as an alternative in a million years.”

 

Everyone laughed. “That’s my girl,” Loki whispered, smugly, kissing her.

 

For all his faults, Fandral could accept being the butt of a joke and he held up his hands. “Alright, I suppose I walked into that one. Your turn.”

 

“Mm...” Georgiana turned her head. “Hogun, Confession or Challenge?”

 

“Challenge,” Hogun replied.

 

“I Challenge you to sing. Volstagg tells me you have a lovely voice,” Georgiana replied, with a somewhat sadistic smile.

 

Hogun looked at Volstagg, who was trying, and failing, to look nonchalant. “When have you ever heard _me_ sing?”

 

“After that great battle we had on Alfheimr,” Volstagg confessed, “when you were in the Healing Room, half-conscious. You were singing in your sleep.”

 

Georgiana cocked her head on one side and use the same trick she had used to get Fandral to agree to let Thor hit him. “Please?”

 

It worked as it had before. Hogun sighed and then got to his feet, folding his hands in front of him, feet apart and looking for all the world like a dignified soldier, before launching into a short song that sounded something like a battle eulogy in his native language. But the others all listened in surprise and applauded when he had finished.

 

“Well, at least you’ll have something to do when you retire,” joked Fandral.

 

“That was really lovely,” Isolde said. “Haunting. It reminded me of Irland.”

 

“It’s an old folk song from my homeland,” Hogun replied, bowing his head as he sat down. “Loki, Confession or Challenge?”

 

“Confession,” Loki replied, his grip on Georgiana tightening slightly.

 

“Aw!” Sif sighed. “I was hoping we could make you jump in the pond too!”

 

“I’m not that foolish,” Loki teased, glancing at his brother.

 

“Like you wouldn’t have done that if you were Challenged to,” Thor shot back, flicking his wet hair out of his face.

 

“Tell us your biggest fear,” Hogun challenged.

 

“My biggest fear?” Loki thought for a second. “Well, it used to be – you remember that time we all got lost in that Labyrinth of Stones, down near the forest?”

 

“Remember?” Thor chuckled. “I’m still trying to forget!”

 

“Me too,” Fandral agreed.

 

“Well, when I use to have nightmares when I was younger, they involved waking up in that place, lost and on my own, in the darkness,” Loki admitted.

 

“But now?” Volstagg prompted. “You said that used to be your biggest fear; Hogun asked what _is_ your biggest fear? As in what’s your biggest fear _now?”_

 

Loki smiled. “I would have thought that was obvious.”

 

The others frowned. Georgiana glanced up at him. “What is it?”

 

“Losing you,” Loki replied, meeting her eyes.

 

Even those who knew Loki was a talented liar could tell he was telling the truth in that second. Georgiana felt her eyes fill with tears, so touched was she by this statement, but she held them back. “Really?”

 

“Really,” Loki confirmed, squeezing her hands.

 

“Aw,” Sif and Isolde cooed in unison and then giggled at having said it at the same time.

 

“Please, I’ve just eaten,” Volstagg protested as Georgiana reached up to kiss Loki.

 

“Anyway, it’s your turn now, Loki,” Hogun pointed out.

 

“Volstagg,” Loki said, “Confession or Challenge?”

 

“Confession,” Volstagg replied.

 

“Which would you value more; food or women?” Loki asked, grinning wickedly.

 

Volstagg’s smile slipped as he tried to decide. “Um...women. No, food. No, women. No, food. Oh, this is too hard!” he groaned.

 

Everyone laughed. “No, you have to pick one,” Loki grinned.

 

“I can’t! You’re a cruel man, Loki,” Volstagg sighed.

 

“I say that,” Georgiana teased.

 

“Only because I tickle you,” Loki pointed out, nuzzling her hairline. “And you hate it when I do that.”

 

“Just to warn you, my breakfast might come up in a minute,” Fandral muttered, rolling his eyes.

 

“Shut up,” Sif retorted, shoving him.

 

“Isolde, Confession or Challenge?” Volstagg said, quickly, before anyone could insist that he choose between food and women.

 

“Confession,” Isolde replied, propping her chin on her hand.

 

“How do you find Thor as a husband?” Volstagg grinned.

 

Isolde hesitated and Georgiana glanced at her, silently willing her not to say anything that might give the others cause to hate her. “Well,” Isolde said, finally, feeling everyone’s eyes on her, “I’ll admit, when I first met Thor, I didn’t think he would be my type at all. I mean, I rarely go for warriors, no offence,” she added to the Warriors Three, who all shrugged it off with no offence taken at all. “But, now, I’m beginning to think I was wrong,” she added, glancing at Thor, who looked at her with interest. “And I find him gentle and easy to talk to, as well as being powerful and strong-minded. And very sweet to stand up for me in the face of insult.”

 

“Again I apologise for that,” Fandral interjected.

 

“And I truly think we can make this marriage work, even if it was arranged without our consent,” Isolde finished, with a smile.

 

Thor returned her smile. “I do too,” he replied, genuinely.

 

“So, now it’s my turn,” Isolde added, swivelling her eyes to Sif, “Confession or Challenge?”

 

“Challenge,” Sif replied, boldly. “We haven’t had enough of those.”

 

“No, but you got to witness me telling the truth for once,” Loki pointed out, hugging Georgiana closer to him.

 

“True, that isn’t something you see every day,” Sif agreed, winking at Georgiana who giggled.

 

“I Challenge you to,” and Isolde’s eyes widened as she found the perfect revenge, _“kiss_ Fandral, since he seems so averse to everyone else doing it.”

 

“No way!” Fandral protested as Sif laughed in disbelief.

 

“Ah!” Isolde raised her hand. “I believe I was Challenging _Sif.”_

 

“So you get no say in it, Fandral,” Georgiana smiled.

 

“Yes, call it revenge for making me jump in the pond naked,” Thor grinned.

 

“Urgh, fine!” Sif groaned, and then to the surprise of everyone, she seized hold of Fandral and kissed him, not just a peck, but a full on breath-stealing kiss that almost knocked him over. Georgiana had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep herself from laughing as Volstagg and Hogun both crowed “Whoa!” and Thor laughed “Be gentle with him, Sif!”

 

“Please never do that ever again,” Fandral begged as she finally let go of him.

 

“Gladly,” Sif replied, brushing her hands on her breeches.

 

Isolde laughed. “You lot really would do anything if you were Challenged to, wouldn’t you?”

 

“Providing it was nothing illegal,” Hogun nodded.

 

“Or anything that required Volstagg giving up food,” Fandral added.

 

“What are you trying to say?” Volstagg asked, innocently.

 

The sky began to rumble overhead and Loki glanced upwards. “Looks like it’s going to rain again,” he murmured. “We should get indoors.”

 

He took Georgiana’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Yes,” Fandral grinned. “You remember that battle when we were out during a storm and some of our armour went rusty?”

 

“That was a waste of perfectly good metal,” Sif muttered, getting to her feet.

 

The others got up too and as they all made their way indoors, Georgiana slipped her arm through Isolde’s and they led the way through the corridor together. Loki was grateful for that, because it gave him the opportunity to catch Sif by the arm and pull her back. “Can we talk?” he muttered, and she nodded. “Look, I know we’ve never exactly been the best of friends, but I just wanted to say thank you for being a friend to Georgiana. After what’s just happened to her, she needs it.”

 

Sif nodded, loyally. “I’m happy to be her friend. Anyway, for all your faults, Loki, it’s clear to anyone that you truly love her.” Loki smiled. “Be careful there, though,” Sif added, glancing in their direction. “I mean, don’t let any enemies of Asgard know that. Otherwise they could use her to get to you.”

 

“Ever the warrior, Sif,” Loki muttered, falling into step beside her.

 

“I just think you should be prepared for that, that’s all,” Sif replied. “Just in case.”

 

Much as Loki hated to admit it, she was right. He nodded. “Alright. You’ve got a point.”

 

“Even if you do say so yourself?” Sif teased.

 

Loki chuckled and then quickened his stride, catching up to Georgiana. She turned as he took her hand and smiled up at him, radiantly, looking happier than she had for a long time, and he realised then just how much he didn’t want to lose her, ever.

 

That wouldn’t ever happen, he told himself, threading their fingers together as they walked. Not as long as he was living. He would sooner die a million and one painful deaths than loose her.


	12. Seeing Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An annual visit turns sour when one of the guests, well, read for yourself...

Loki awoke to the feeling of Georgiana cuddled up close to him, pressed into his side with her head against his shoulder, nuzzling into him as if she could somehow burrow into his body like a hibernating animal. He smiled, slipping his arm about her shoulders and running a hand down her back as she sighed in her sleep and wriggled closer to him. She felt so soft and warm...and wet. Wet? Loki frowned, wondering if he was dreaming. No, there was a wet patch seeping through her nightgown. That was strange.

 

He pulled back his hand and stared at the blood on his fingers.

 

_Blood? What the Hel-?_

He whipped the covers off both of them and Georgiana groaned “Loki!” without opening her eyes. He ignored that, staring at the patch of blood seeping from the back of her nightgown to the sheet beneath her. “Georgiana,” he exclaimed, giving her a small shake that finally roused her. “You’re bleeding!”

 

“Wh-what?” Georgiana stammered, sitting up and then realising he was right. She sighed. “Oh, no!”

 

“It’s alright, we’ll get you to the healing room-” Loki began, trying not to panic.

 

“No, Loki.” Georgiana grabbed his arm as he went to get out of bed and she smiled, fondly, at him. “It’s alright. I’m not hurt or anything. I’ve just started my courses early.”

 

Realising what she meant, Loki allowed himself to relax. “That’s alright then.”

 

“For you, maybe,” Georgiana replied, clambering uneasily out of bed. “I hate it when this happens. Why didn’t I check the date?”

 

“Do you need any help?” Loki asked as she made her way to the bathroom.

 

“No, I’m alright,” Georgiana answered, slipping into the room to sort herself out. Loki quickly magicked the sheets, and his fingers, clean and blood free, and then followed her into the bathroom, where he found her pulling off her now bloody nightgown as she ran herself a bath. She smiled at him. “It’s very sweet of you to worry about me, but really, I’m alright.”

 

“Are you sure?” Loki crouched beside her as she climbed into the bath and lay back in the steaming water. “From what I’ve heard, it’s not exactly nice.”

 

“Well, granted, it is a bit of a pain,” Georgiana answered. “Quite literally, as it happens. And just to warn you, I might get a bit snappish because my hormones will be all over the place; please don’t take it personally if I shout at you, it always happens. And sometimes I just cry for no reason over silly things, and I’ll probably be craving food more than usual, especially sweet things.” She glanced at herself. “I always seem to put on a little bit of weight this time of the month.”

 

Loki smiled at her. “You won’t look any less beautiful to me.”

 

“Loki,” Georgiana murmured, fondly. She reached up a hand, carding her fingers through his sleep mussed hair and bringing his face close to hers so their noses were brushing. “Well, will you please tell me if I’m being a nuisance? It won’t last forever.”

 

“Promise,” Loki murmured, before closing the space between their lips. Georgiana brought her other hand up, cupping his face and pulling him closer to her, the bubbles she had thrown into the bath breaking and crackling between them. “Mm, I’m sorry,” she murmured, breaking away from him a moment. “I’m getting you wet.”

 

Loki shrugged. “I don’t care.” To prove it, he kissed her again, not caring in the slightest that the front of his sleep tunic and his sleeves, where he was holding her shoulders, were getting completely soaked through. Georgiana closed her eyes, wondering whether he’d mind at all if she pulled him into the bathtub with her whilst he was still fully clothed. Before she could find out, however, a sudden knock on the door interrupted them. Loki sighed and pulled away from her as slowly as possible. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he muttered, pressing a kiss to her forehead before getting to his feet and going into the bedroom, pulling the bathroom door almost closed behind him to give her some privacy.

 

To his surprise, it was Thor, also still in his night clothes. “There you go, I knocked,” he grinned.

 

“Mm, you’re learning,” Loki teased, stepping back to let him in the room.

 

Thor glanced at him and frowned. “Why are you all wet?”

 

“Because my wife’s in the bath,” Loki answered, folding his arms.

 

“Oh.” Thor glanced at the bathroom door. “Only me, Georgiana!”

 

Georgiana giggled. “Hello, Thor!”

 

“What do you want?” Loki asked, trying not to sound impolite as he said it.

 

“Well, you know that we’re supposed to be having that party from Niðavellir visiting soon?” Thor began.

 

“Mm, next week,” Loki agreed, rubbing his forehead.

 

“They’re coming today.”

 

“What?”

 

“They’re coming today,” Thor stated, as matter-of-factly as if he were pointing out that it was a nice day outside the curtains. “Father had word just now; they’ll be here this afternoon.”

 

Loki stared at him. “Well, they can’t come today! Nothing’s ready for them!”

 

“Well, it’s going to have to be, or else we’re going to have to just improvise,” Thor shrugged.

 

“Oh, Norns!” Loki groaned.

 

“My sentiments exactly,” Thor agreed. “Anyway, just thought you two should know.”

 

“Thanks,” Loki muttered, patting his shoulder as Thor took his leave. He went back into the bathroom and Georgiana looked up at him with wide, expectant eyes. He smiled at her. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to cut your long soak short, dove. We’ll be needed in Odin’s chambers as quickly as possible.”

 

“Yes, I heard,” Georgiana replied, sitting up and reaching for the sponge. “But what’s it all about?”

 

Loki sat down beside her again, rolled up his sleeves, and then, to her surprise, took the sponge from her and began to wash her himself. “Every four years or so, we get a royal visit from Niðavellir; sort of a reminder that there’s peace between us, that we have a “special” relationship with them. And it’s the usual thing, dinner, talking, dancing. Now for some reason they’ve managed to cut half a week off their journey and are on their way here today, so we’ve got to make sure everything’s ready for them in time.”

 

Georgiana nodded her understanding and got to her feet, reaching for the towel he handed her. Wrapping it about herself, she got to her feet and then bent by the sink for small wooden box she kept there. Loki now realised what it was for as she pulled out a sanitary napkin and padded into their room. He followed and busied himself with making the bed whilst she sorted herself out, and then they both dressed; Georgiana opting to put her hair up in a simple plait wound into a chignon and pinned in place instead of loose as usual. With a smile, Loki took her hand and they made their way to Odin’s chambers.

 

Inside, Odin, Frigga, Thor and Isolde were already waiting for them.

 

“Right,” Odin said as they came in and quickly slipped into their seats. “Now we’re all here, we need to discuss what’s about to happen. As you all know, we’re due our annual visit from King Hreiðmarr and his party from Niðavellir; in said party are his consort, Heidrun, his sons Regin and Ótr and all of his best soldiers. Now we’ve been brought up short by their early arrival, so we’re going to have to make the best of what we’ve already got. The servants have already been informed to make up the guest rooms; do we have enough food?” he added, looking to Frigga.

 

“We have enough food in this palace for a thousand year siege, Odin,” Frigga replied, with a slight eye roll and her sons and their wives all stifled giggles.

 

“Right,” Odin replied, satisfied. “As for entertainment, well, the ball will have to do as entertainment enough, unless anyone here can volunteer their services in any art skills?”

 

Isolde raised her head. “Well...I _can_ play the harp.”

 

“Can you?” Thor asked, both surprised and impressed.

 

“But of course.” She gave him a coquettish look. “I’m Irlandish, after all.”

 

“Well, if you don’t mind at such short notice,” Odin began.

 

“Of course not, I’d be happy to,” Isolde replied.

 

“How long are they staying for again?” Loki asked.

 

“Three days at most, but really it’s only today we have to worry about,” Odin answered. “But I think now that’s everything settled; so we’d better get a move on and make sure this place is ready in time.”

 

The four took it as their cue to leave, but as Georgiana got up, she winced and placed a hand on her stomach.

 

“Are you alright?” Loki asked, instantly, taking her hand.

 

She nodded. “Just a cramp. It’s passing now.”

 

“Are you going to be alright for tonight?” Loki asked as they left. “Because you know if you’d rather not attend the ball; if you’d rather stay in bed, no one will blame you.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “I think I’ll be alright.”

 

“So, do you have a harp?” Thor checked with Isolde. “Because if not, we can find one.”

 

“No, I do,” Isolde answered. “It’s in our room. I’ll fetch it later.”

 

The four of them went their separate ways to make sure that everything was ready in time for the visit, and thankfully, by the time a servant came running to inform them all that the party from Niðavellir were at the gates, everything was prepared and so, as was customary, the royals of Asgard went to greet them.

 

Georgiana wasn’t quite sure what to make of the royals of Niðavellir. King Hreiðmarr seemed nice enough; he greeted them all politely and though he held himself like a warrior, she sensed that he was a trustworthy sort underneath the armour. His consort, however, Heidrun, was mousy and looked small next to her King. She was thin and looked to be quite a bit younger than he was, and though beautiful, seemed reserved, like an obedient servant who would do anything for their master, no matter how it reflected on them. Regin was a sour-faced youth who simply nodded curtly at them but looked as if he believed that they were all beneath him, in spite of both parties being of royal blood. As for Ótr, well, she wasn’t sure she liked the look of him. Something about him just gave her the creeps and she found herself pressing closer to Loki as they were all introduced. Odin made the introductions, indicating each one of them as he said their name, and they all bowed or curtseyed respectfully, and Georgiana felt Ótr’s eyes sweep over her like a buyer at a meat market.

 

“Why does something tell me you’re not Asgard-born?” he asked.

 

Georgiana met his gaze with a steady one of her own but kept her voice friendly as she replied “Something is right, Sir; I’m from Althrop originally.”

 

“But, of course, we have always had close ties with that kingdom,” Odin added, and Loki protectively took Georgiana’s hand, as if he too sensed that Ótr wasn’t a man to be trusted.

 

“Of course,” Hreiðmarr smiled, putting everyone at their ease, and then turning to Georgiana, added, respectfully, “Good people. I have met a few of them on my travel. Nice people.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “Well, we do our best.”

 

“Come,” Odin smiled. “If you’d like to follow us, I’ll have my servants show you to your rooms.”

 

Loki quickly slipped an arm around Georgiana’s waist as they turned to go and she was glad of that. She could still feel Ótr watching her like an eagle watching pray, and she hoped inwardly that he might find some other pretty Asgard maiden to distract him from looking at her. It was making her feel uncomfortable.

 

Thankfully the second they got inside, the party from Niðavellir instantly went to their rooms to freshen up and she didn’t encounter them again until dinner. To her dismay, however, she found herself sitting on the opposite side of the table from Ótr and did her best to ignore the somewhat suggestive glances he kept giving her. Loki, sitting directly opposite her, however, noticed her discomfort, and nudged her foot reassuringly underneath the table with his own. Georgiana ducked her head, smiling, and returned the gesture. Loki tried not to laugh.

 

“How long have you two been married?” Heidrun asked her, suddenly, bluntly, causing Georgiana to glance up at her in surprise.

 

“Less than a year,” she answered, “but we were betrothed since we were children.”

 

Heidrun simply raised her eyebrows and went back to her meal, but as the general talk turned to political matters, she suddenly murmured in an undertone “You just seem so at ease with each other.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “Well, not to sound flippant or anything, but that’s because we are.” And she allowed herself to blush under Loki’s gaze, never once feeling uncomfortable with the way _he_ was looking at her.

 

After dinner was over, Isolde did indeed bring out her harp and entertain their guests with a few old tunes from Irland, which Hreiðmarr praised lavishly, stating that their island was “a paradise of rugged beauty and culture,” having visited the place several times in his youth, and this only served to make Isolde feel more proud than she already was to be Irlandish. Then, as the servants began to clear away, everyone made their way to their respective rooms to change for the ball.

 

“I hope you’ll save at least one dance for me,” Ótr mouthed at Georgiana as they rose from the table. She felt a shudder run down her spine and turned her head, pretending not to have seen.

 

“Darling, you look absolutely beautiful,” Loki told her when she asked, having finally pulled on her shoes and got to her feet for his approval.

 

Georgiana smiled. For one of the few times in her life she actually _felt_ beautiful, dressed as she was in her emerald green Asgard-cut evening dress, with a low neckline and no sleeves, and, unusually for a dress, with a hood hanging down her back. Her dancing slippers were in the same shade, tying at her ankles with ribbons and she was lightly made up, but the whole effect gave her that same glow she had had about her on her wedding day. “Why, thank you, Loki, that is very nice of you to say so,” she teased.

 

Loki took her hands and pulled her closer to him. “Green suits you,” he decided. “It highlights the shade of your hair.”

 

“Well, it is one of _your_ colours,” Georgiana pointed out. “I think as your wife I should probably start wearing it more often, mark myself out as yours.”

 

Inwardly she was hoping that Ótr would take note of the fact that she was wearing a dress the same shade as her husband’s tunic and get the message. Hopefully then he would stop leering at her like he was. Couldn’t he see that even if she wasn’t already married to Loki, she had no intention of going for him? Why, she wondered briefly, did men have to be so stubborn about some things? Why did they have to be so persistent?

 

The music was already in full swing when they reached the ballroom, and the whole place was a sea of dancers. Georgiana relaxed, since she couldn’t see Ótr anywhere at all and she allowed Loki to dance her through the other dancers and allowed herself to forget that she had ever had nerves at all about coming here.

 

“Georgiana,” said Isolde at one point as they swept past her and Thor, “you bad girl! Why did you never tell me that your brother dances so well?”

 

Georgiana laughed. “Well, I’ve never actually had the pleasure of dancing with him myself, so I wouldn’t really know.”

 

“There’s always time,” grinned Thor.

 

“Not tonight, there isn’t,” Loki teased, causing his brother to laugh and sweep his wife away from them.

 

Georgiana giggled. “They’re getting on alright even without our meddling!”

 

“Yes, although I think it was our interference in the first place that helped them break the ice,” Loki agreed, slipping both arms around her waist.

 

“Oh, yes, I agree,” Georgiana replied, sliding her arms around his neck and they smiled at one another before Loki leaned down to brush her lips with a gentle kiss.

 

“You are the most beautiful woman in the room tonight,” he murmured. “But then you’re the most beautiful woman in the whole of the Nine Realms.”

 

Georgiana giggled. “My Prince is either after something or he has something pressing to tell me,” she teased.

 

“Or he _could_ just be paying you a compliment,” Loki replied.

 

“Well, if that’s the case, you are very good at that,” Georgiana murmured, reaching up to kiss him again. A few cramps suddenly clenched at her stomach and she pulled away a little sharply, feeling slightly sick.

 

“Georgiana?” Loki cupped her cheek. “What is it? Are you in pain?”

 

“Just a little,” Georgiana replied, although now she could feel a pain developing in the small of her back too. “Do you think it would be awful of me if I retired now? I just feel like being in bed in the warm right now.”

 

Loki smiled. “They’ll understand. I’ll come with you. Just let me let them know first.”

 

Georgiana nodded. “I think I’ll wait in the garden. I’m feeling a bit _too_ warm in here right now.”

 

“I’ll meet you there,” Loki murmured, kissing her forehead before finally releasing her. Georgiana smiled and then slipped through the other dancers to find her way outside. The cool night air was a welcome to her and she leaned against one of the marble pillars for a moment, watching the moon, which was full and looking larger than usual in all her silver glory.

 

“You didn’t save me a dance.”

 

Georgiana froze, feeling her skin prickling with alarm. Ótr had followed her out. Slowly, she turned her head in his direction, and, willing Loki to hurry up and find her, replied in what she hoped was a tone of polite casualness “Did I promise you one? I’m afraid you can’t have been fast enough.”

 

Ótr simply smirked at her, not put off by her rebuff at all as he stepped towards her. Georgiana quickly flickered her eyes downwards, not wanting to look into his dark orbs. She quickly thought of Loki’s eyes instead, those beautiful green eyes she had fallen for the day she had been reunited with him and how he always looked at her with love and admiration.

 

“Well, am I still too late?” Ótr asked, his voice dripping with a lechery that made her flinch inwardly.

 

“Yes,” Georgiana replied, honestly, and she was about to elaborate that Loki was about to find her and take her back to their room when Ótr suddenly flicked a finger underneath her chin and lifted her face level with his.

 

“Why must you be so difficult, Lady Georgiana?” he asked, tiredly, as if he really believed that she was, and then, to her shock and horror, he seized hold of her and pulled her against him. Georgiana instinctively twisted her head away from him and attempted with all her strength to push him off her, but it was like fighting back against a rock.

 

“Get off me!” she cried, attempting to kick out at him, but he somehow managed to pin her legs back against the pillar with his own. Her blows felt so feeble even though she was putting every ounce of her strength into them and then as she felt him grab the back of her neck and force her face towards him, she let out a shriek.

 

“Get off her!” came a very angry voice and suddenly Isolde was there, lashing out at Ótr like a woman possessed. Ótr let go of Georgiana with one hand and knocked Isolde aside. She staggered and fell to the ground with a small scream, and as Georgiana managed to wrench herself free of his grip, suddenly Thor was there too. With one punch he felled Ótr and Georgiana leaned against the pillar in relief, feeling her legs go weak, as Loki came running up to her.

 

“How dare you lay a hand on either of them?!” Thor shouted, seizing Ótr by his collar.

 

“Georgiana, are you alright?” Loki asked, pulling her close.

 

“Yes, I think so,” she stammered, clinging to him in relief.

 

“Are you sure?” Loki shot Ótr a murderous look over the top of his wife’s head. “He didn’t hurt you?”

 

“No,” Georgiana whispered. “No, Loki, I’m fine.”

 

“You’re lucky I didn’t kill you,” Thor told Ótr.

 

“Please allow me,” Loki replied, letting go of Georgiana and stepping towards Ótr. He was raging with anger at the thought of anyone trying to force Georgiana to their will like that. Georgiana could tell he wasn’t bluffing for suddenly his dagger was in his hand.

 

“No,” she cried, grabbing his arm. “No, Loki, don’t.”

 

“Thor! Loki!” The five of them turned their heads to see Odin hurrying towards them, with Hreiðmarr close at his heels. “What in the Nine Realms do you think you’re doing?” Odin thundered, reaching them.

 

Thor promptly dropped Ótr and wheeled to face his father. “So we aren’t supposed to leap to our wives defenses now when someone tries to hurt them?”

 

“What?” Hreiðmarr looked at his son. “Is this true?”

 

“No!” Ótr protested. “I am innocent! The Lady tried it on with _me,_ not the other way around!”

 

Georgiana stared at him, and before Loki could stop himself, he had kicked Ótr hard in the ribs. Ótr howled as they all heard something snap. “If you even _think_ about coming near her again, I will kill you!” Loki shouted.

 

“Loki!” Odin shouted, pushing his youngest son out of the way. “That will do!”

 

“You liar, you!” Isolde exclaimed, finally getting to her feet. “I saw what youse what trying to make Georgiana do! Don’t you _dare_ call her a liar!”

 

Hreiðmarr looked furious as he pulled Ótr to his feet. “You are a disgrace! You abuse our peaceful relationship by trying to take advantage of a Princess of Asgard? You aren’t worthy to even wield the title of Prince!” He turned to the others. “Princess Georgiana, Princess Isolde, I offer my most sincere apologies on behalf of my treacherous son!” He gave Ótr a shake as he spoke. “Guards,” he added to several of his own troops, who had just come up, “please escort my son home, and keep him under house arrest until I return!”

 

With that he shoved Ótr towards the guards, who seized him under the armpits and dragged him away, and turned to Odin. “My apologies, Odin. I never dared dream that my son was capable of such misdoings.”

 

Odin glanced at his sons and their wives and then nodded. “I’m sure none of us blame you, Hreiðmarr.”

 

“No, we don’t,” Thor admitted and Georgiana nodded her confirmation.

 

“Come,” Odin said, in a softer tone now as he held out an arm to put about his friend’s shoulders. “We’ll settle this over a cup of wine.” He gave his sons an “I’ll deal with you in the morning” look before he left, however.

 

“Are you alright?” Thor asked Isolde.

 

Her fierce look softened into a smile as she reached to take his hand. “Yes, I’m alright. And that was very brave of you, thank you.”

 

Loki took Georgiana’s hand and led her back to their room. Once there he pulled her into the tightest embrace. “Georgiana, I’m so sorry. What was I thinking, leaving you on your own? I should have been there.”

 

Georgiana frowned. “Loki, I _can_ look after myself.”

 

“Well, if _I_ don’t protect you from things like this, who will?” Loki asked, holding her at arms’ length.

 

Georgiana couldn’t help laughing once. “What makes you think I need constantly protecting, Loki?”

 

“Well, you always seem to,” Loki responded, his own voice stiff as he let go of her.

 

“Loki, I don’t need you to constantly look after me,” Georgiana exclaimed. “You can’t always stop things like this from happening.”

 

“I’m just trying to take care of you,” Loki snapped back.

 

“Well, you don’t need to fuss over me all the time!” Georgiana cried. “I’m not a child!”

 

“You think I don’t know that?”

 

“I think that sometimes you look at me and you still see that helpless child who can’t take care of herself!”

 

“Now you’re being ridiculous,” Loki told her.

 

“Am I?” Georgiana shot back. “Or do you just treat everyone you care about as if they’re made of glass?”

 

“How am I supposed to protect you if you won’t let me?” Loki shouted. “Or would you have rather I just left you to get forcibly molested?”

 

“Who’s to say I couldn’t have saved myself?” Georgiana shouted back.

 

“Well, you weren’t doing a very good job of it when I got there!” Loki pointed out.

 

“Only because he took me by surprise!” Georgiana argued.

 

“So what you’re saying is you could have fought him off if you’d seen it coming?” Loki exclaimed. “Georgiana, you never know when things like this are going to happen!”

 

“Perhaps not, but that doesn’t mean I need you fussing over me all the time!” Georgiana cried. “Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I’m weak!”

 

“Have I ever said that?” Loki fixed her with an angry expression and Georgiana knew that she ought to just let this go, but somehow she just couldn’t, so she fixed him with her most defiant expression. “Georgiana, why must you be so stubborn and reckless all the time?” Loki demanded.

 

Georgiana didn’t know how else to answer that question, and she felt like her nerves were pushed to the limit as it was, so she did the only thing she could think of and slapped him. Loki was too taken aback by her reaction to do anything other than exhale and straighten up again. Unable to look at him any longer, Georgiana turned and almost ran into the bathroom, banging the door shut behind her again. Weakly, she leaned against the door, and then slid down it, feeling tears of frustration and regret spill down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around her knees.

 

The second she had gone, Loki sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Well done, Loki,” he muttered, scolding himself for having shouted at her. He dragged himself over to the bed, kicked off his boots and lay down, waiting in the silence for her to emerge. Eventually, beginning to get worried, he called out “Georgiana?”

 

Georgiana raised her head. “What?” she called back.

 

“Are you coming to bed?” Loki asked, his tone neutral. “Because I wouldn’t recommend you sleeping in the bathroom. It’s not exactly hygienic.”

 

Georgiana managed a laugh in spite of herself and then she got to her feet and opened the door. Loki glanced in her direction, and then, seeing her tears, sat up at once, pulled himself off the bed and went straight to her, wrapping his arms about her. “Norns, I made you cry. Georgiana, I’m so sorry,” he murmured, kissing her hair.

 

“No, I’m sorry,” Georgiana whispered back, clinging to him. “I know that you’re just trying to keep me safe because you love me.”

 

Loki smiled. “Well, maybe I am fussing over you too much, but,” and he drew her away from him a second to look into her eyes, “if I am, it’s only because I’ve never _had_ someone to fuss over before.” He offered her a small smile. “And I promised-”

 

“My Father, I know,” Georgiana nodded.

 

To her surprise, Loki shook his head. “Myself,” he corrected her, “a long time ago that I’d never let anything happen to you. I’d die before I let anyone or anything hurt you.”

 

Georgiana managed to smile back at him and then buried her head against his chest. “I’m sorry I slapped you.”

 

“It’s alright,” Loki replied, with a shrug. “It didn’t hurt. Alright, it did,” he added, as she glanced at him, “but don’t tell Thor that.”

 

Georgiana giggled and looked up at him. “So we’re alright?”

 

Loki nodded and wiped her tears. “We’re alright.” He frowned, suddenly. “Have I told you I love you yet today?”

 

“Not yet,” Georgiana admitted.

 

“I love you,” Loki replied, pulling her close.

 

“I love you too, Loki,” Georgiana murmured, hugging him back. She suddenly wished they could make love, but given that she had started her courses, that wasn’t an option. Then again, she thought, there were other ways of showing their love to one another. “You know,” she added, pulling away from him. “I think I might need another bath, and,” she fixed him with a mischievous expression, “since you always do such a good job of washing me off, perhaps you’d care to bathe with me?”

 

Loki smiled at her. “Now there stands an offer I can’t refuse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Georgiana’s ball dress is a combination of several of these: http://images.events.blue-compass.com.s3.amazonaws.com/logos/54/54506.jpg


	13. Questions, Answers and Deals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quite a few people have them in this fluffy chapter...

Loki woke the next morning with a sense of dread mingling in his stomach. He and Thor both knew all too well that when Odin shot them a look that said “I’ll deal with you in the morning/this evening/later” it always meant that he would deal with them in the morning/this evening/later. He groaned, rubbing his eyes with the back of one hand and wishing that he didn’t have to get out of bed. Why did Odin even want to talk to them anyway? What had they done that he needed to scold or discipline them about this time?

 

A small sleepy sigh next to him caused him to smile as he turned his head. Right. That was why. That was what.

 

Georgiana was curled up beside him, literally curled into herself with her elbows tucked into her stomach and her knees up to her chest, her cheek pillowed on the back of one hand whilst her other arm was wrapped around her lower half, her eyes firmly shut and only the slow, steady rise and fall of her chest indicating that she was fast asleep and not just dozing. The neck of her nightgown had slipped down over her shoulder in the night and Loki leaned down and pressed his lips to the exposed skin. At his touch she stirred and shifted slightly, but didn’t open her eyes. Loki decided not to wake her since she looked so peaceful and instead slipped out from under the sheets as quietly as possible so as to avoid doing so. Sitting up on the edge of the bed, he rubbed his eyes again and stretched, wishing the day would suddenly turn to night so he could just lie back down again beside his wife and not have to worry about facing his Father for another few hours.

 

Last night after they had made up had been great; it had been like the day after their wedding night, when they had bathed together, but in the end not got much bathing actually done. In fact, things had got a bit, well, hectic, after becoming heated and most of the water had ended up on the floor by the time they were finished with their...antics, which had set them both laughing. It was definitely the perfect way to make up after an argument, he decided, with a smile. Perhaps they ought to argue more often, although he had no desire to make her cry ever again. That had been unbearable knowing he had done that. And she had forgiven him for it. He found himself wondering once again what he could have possibly done in his life to deserve her.

 

“You’re up early.” Georgiana surprised him by suddenly slipping her arms around him from behind and burying her head against his shoulder. “Is everything alright?”

 

Loki smiled and turned his head to her. “I have to see Father, remember?”

 

“Do you?” Georgiana looked up at him. “Why?”

 

“Well,” Loki replied, playing with her fingers as he spoke, “I don’t know if you recall but last night there was a bit of a scuffle with Prince Ótr, during which he tried to hurt you and Isolde, and for which Thor and I very nearly killed him.”

 

His tone was light, almost teasing, but Georgiana was quiet a moment even so. “Would you have really killed him?”

 

Loki thought for a minute. “I might have done, maybe not intentionally, but I might have inflicted some serious wound on him that could kill him, even if that wasn’t what I planned to happen. But I did want to,” he added, and Georgiana tightened her grip on him slightly. “In that second when I saw that he’d even dared to lay his hands on you...I wanted to make him suffer like that. It was only you grabbing me that made me see sense.”

 

Georgiana relaxed and released him, crawling to the edge of the bed to kneel beside him. “Will Odin be angry?”

 

“I’ve no idea,” Loki admitted, sliding his hand into hers. “Probably.”

 

“But you two had good reason for it,” Georgiana insisted, covering his hand with both of hers. “You were defending us.” A smile crept across her lips. “And Isolde certainly seemed impressed.”

 

Loki grinned at her. “I can’t remember the last time I saw Thor look so angry.”

 

Georgiana laughed. “He was like a bear protecting its den!” Then, sobering up, she looked into his eyes and added “And... _I_ was impressed too, by my husband.”

 

Loki was genuinely surprised. “Really? I barely did anything.”

 

“You were just so brave when you faced him,” Georgiana replied, bringing his hand up to her face and rubbing her cheek against his palm. “So unafraid, and ready to do anything to defend me.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “And I never actually said thank you for doing so.” Turning her head, she kissed his palm and opened her eyes. “Thank you, my Prince,” she whispered.

 

Loki smiled and rested his forehead against hers. “You’re welcome, my love,” he murmured, kissing her. “And now I really have to go, otherwise I’ll be in even more trouble.”

 

Georgiana laughed, softly, butting her forehead with his. “Well, shall I wait for you in the library then, my Prince, and we can go to breakfast together?”

 

“That sounds good to me,” Loki smiled, kissing her one last time before getting to his feet. Georgiana smiled and pulled the neck of her nightgown up again before rolling off the bed to get herself bathed and dressed for the morning ahead. Loki watched her with a fond look, reminding himself that surely his father could sympathize with his and Thor’s desire to keep another man from touching, even hurting, their wives. After all, Odin had Frigga, didn’t he want to keep her safe from danger?

 

“How much trouble do you think we’re in?” he asked Thor as they both sat in Odin’s chamber, side by side, like they had all those times they had been in trouble with their various tutors. Usually when that happened, it was because they had grown bored in their lessons and Loki had done something magical to either distract or else humiliate their tutor, who would then report such hijinks to Odin and then the boys would find themselves sitting like they were now, alone in their Father’s chambers and waiting for him to show up and give them a stern talking to.

 

“I don’t know, he looked pretty cross,” Thor replied, folding his arms and stretching his legs out in front of him, leaning back in his chair. Loki did the same. “Mind you, so did Hreiðmarr, when he wasn’t apologizing for his son.”

 

“Well, I don’t see anything wrong in what we did,” Loki sighed.

 

“Me neither,” Thor agreed, scratching his head. “I mean, isn’t that what we’re meant to do when our women are in trouble; rush to their aide?” Loki nodded and then began to laugh. Thor glanced at him. “What?”

 

“Our “women?” Loki repeated. “I think Georgiana prefers to be thought of as a “wife,” thank you very much.”

 

“Well, they are technically our women,” Thor pointed out.

 

“You make us sound so primitive,” Loki replied, shaking his head.

 

Thor glanced at him and then took a deep breath. “Loki, can I ask you something?”

 

“Go ahead,” Loki replied, brushing his hair out of his face.

 

“You and Georgiana are intimate, right?” Thor began.

 

“You know we are,” Loki replied with an irritated sigh.

 

“Right.” Thor flushed, remembering he had once walked in one them in an intimate position together. “Sorry about that, by the way.”

 

“Doesn’t matter,” Loki replied, glancing at him. “What do you want to know? Because I’m not about to tell you anything you can tell Volstagg and the others so they can go spreading around what my wife and I like to do together in private.”

 

“Would I?” Thor teased.

 

“Thor,” Loki groaned.

 

“Sorry.” Thor became serious again. “And...I can’t believe I’m even asking this. I mean, usually it’s the other way around, you ask me things, but...”

 

“You’ve never _been_ with a woman before, have you?” Loki cut in, knowingly. Thor looked at him in surprise and Loki smiled. “You’re my brother, Thor; I’ve known you all my life. I think I’d be able to tell if you’d really gone that far with any of those women who usually fawn over you.”

 

Surprised that his brother wasn’t teasing him for once, Thor relaxed somewhat. “There have been a few incidents where we’ve...done some stuff...but never gone all the way.”

 

“And you haven’t with Isolde yet?” Loki guessed.

 

“Not yet.” Thor looked embarrassed. “So I wanted to ask...when it comes to it...what’s it like?”

 

“Honestly?” Thor nodded and Loki smiled, leaning forwards slightly in his seat. “It’s wonderful. Being with her like that; sometimes it’s so wonderful that I wish we could just spend the rest of our lives in private doing it together.” He hesitated a second before going on. “And I think it must be different when you love someone than when you don’t. I mean, if I had ever been with any girl I met before I fell in love with Georgiana, I think being with them and being with her would have been completely different experiences.”

 

Thor raised his eyebrows, his interest genuine, and he looked like he was about to say something else, but at that moment the doors opened and Odin walked in. Both Princes simultaneously turned their heads in the direction of their Father and then Loki sat up straighter, unfolding his arms and gripping the underneath of his chair with his hands, but Thor remained as he was, casual and unassuming.

 

“Well,” was the first thing Odin said to them as he finally turned to face them. “An eventful night, certainly not how I’d pictured it turning out.”

 

“And whose fault is that?” Thor countered. “Not ours.”

 

Loki glanced at him, expecting a row to break out between his brother and their Father, but to his surprise, Odin simply took a seat facing them and asked “What actually happened, do either of you know?”

 

“Georgiana filled me in,” Loki began.

 

“How is she?” Odin cut across him, and Thor, realizing he hadn’t asked either, sat up a little straighter for a second.

 

Loki smiled. “She’s fine. I mean, she was a bit shaken, but she’s alright now. Apparently, well, she was waiting for me outside and Ótr came up to her. I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but he did seem unable to take his eyes off her when they arrived, and she said it made her feel uncomfortable. Anyway, he took hold of her and tried to kiss her when she rebuffed his flirtations, and that was when Isolde came in-”

 

“And tried to tear him off Georgiana,” Thor interrupted, leaning back in his seat.

 

“Right,” Loki agreed, “and when he pushed her to the floor,” and here he noted Thor’s hands curl into tight fists when that was mentioned, “that was when Thor and I came running. We’d heard Georgiana shouting, and then Thor pushed him off her.”

 

“And you decided to try and kill him?” Odin finished, sounding slightly amused.

 

“Well he shouldn’t have touched either of them!” Thor snapped, heatedly.

 

Odin got to his feet and pointed Gungnir at the pair of them, causing Thor to shut up instantly. “You two need to learn to control your tempers,” he told them, sternly. “However,” he added, his tone softer, “it was a good thing that Isolde had the sense to speak up and tell Hreiðmarr what really happened, otherwise he might have been inclined to believe his son and that would have torn a rift between us. He’s spoken to me this morning, says he’s going to make sure that Ótr never does that to anyone ever again and that he for one feels truly ashamed of his son’s actions.”

 

“So he should,” Thor muttered, and then received a kick in the shin from Loki.

 

 _“And,”_ Odin continued, shooting Loki a somewhat grateful look as Thor rubbed his leg, “I have to admit, your actions are exactly the sort of reckless, thoughtless thing _I_ would have done at your age.”

 

Concluded he sat down and his sons both stared at him. “So, we’re not in trouble?” Loki asked.

 

“Well, you would have been,” Odin replied, mildly, “if you hadn’t had good reason for your actions.”

 

He made a dismissive gesture with his hand and they took it as their cue to leave. “Told you,” Thor grinned smugly at his brother and Loki responded by pushing him, causing Thor to laugh as he turned to go.

 

“Oh, Loki,” Odin called, halting him in his tracks, “a quick word, please? Before you go rushing off to the library?”

 

Loki frowned as he turned about. “How-?”

 

“You’re my youngest son, when are you _not_ in the library?” Odin replied, with a smile.

 

“When he’s being intimate with his wife,” Thor called from the door.

 

Loki immediately picked up the nearest cushion and threw it at him.

 

“Alright, Thor, that’s enough,” Odin said, although his voice showed that he wasn’t really cross.

 

“Missed,” Thor grinned, ducking out of the door.

 

“I won’t next time,” Loki called after him. “Though I don’t see how I missed your big head this time,” he added.

 

“I heard that!” Thor called from beyond the door.

 

Odin got to his feet and walked up to his youngest son, and Loki immediately stood to attention out of respect. “Alright,” Odin smiled. “I’m not about to scold you or anything.” Loki smiled back and relaxed. “You and Georgiana, how’s that going?”

 

Loki looked up at him. “Why; has someone been saying something?”

 

“No,” Odin replied at once. “No, I just noticed that Thor and Isolde didn’t seem to take to one another like you two did and I was just making sure that I at least made a good match for one of my two sons.”

 

Loki smiled. “To be perfectly honest, I think you’ve made good matches for both. Thor and Isolde seem to have grown closer lately. And we’re perfectly happy together, Georgiana and I.”

 

“Good,” Odin replied, genuinely. “I’m glad to hear it. I was a bit worried, you know, as you grew up, that you two might not take to one another. You can’t imagine how glad I was when you both did.”

 

“So was I.” Loki hesitated. “Father, can I ask you something?”

 

Odin looked surprised but nodded. “Of course, you can always ask me anything, Loki.”

 

“When you and Mother first married, did you...worry about her, a lot? Did you ever fuss over her more than you probably should?”

 

Odin smiled and then, stepping towards his youngest son, laid a hand on his shoulder. “What you mean “did I?” I still do.”

 

Loki looked up and smiled at him. “So...it’s normal.”

 

“Of course.” Odin gave him a wise look, the ones he usually reserved for his Kingly-duties. “Loki, when you truly love someone, you never stop worrying about them, whether they’re parents, siblings, spouses or children, even friends. You never stop.”

 

Loki nodded. “Right.” He met his Father’s look and smiled. “Thanks.”

 

Georgiana was lying on her front on top of the in the vast fur rug when he came into the library, close to the unlit fireplace. She had a book on Midgardian wildlife open in front of her, filled with glossy pictures of animals she had never dreamed existed before in the rest of the Nine Realms.

 

“I missed you,” she murmured without lifting her eyes from the pages as he lay down beside her and kissed the back of her head.

 

“I missed you too,” Loki replied, slipping an arm about her waist.

 

Georgiana smiled and snuggled into his side, burying her head in the crook of his neck. “Was he angry?”

 

“No, surprisingly,” Loki replied, “he was quite amicable.”

 

“Good,” Georgiana murmured, raising her head. “Because no person should ever be condemned for defending someone they love.”

 

Loki smiled at her. “I wouldn’t care even if I _was,_ if it meant saving you from danger.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers before murmuring “I’d die for you, Georgiana.”

 

Her eyes flew open. “Really?”

 

“Really,” Loki confirmed.

 

Georgiana smiled. “I’d die for you too, Loki.”

 

“I’ll see you in Valhalla,” Loki teased, seizing her about the waist and rolling her over. Georgiana squealed with laughter as she ended up on top of him.

 

“What about Thor?” she asked.

 

“Oh, no, he’s going straight to Hel, I’ll make sure of it,” Loki replied.

 

She laughed. “No, I mean was he angry? About Isolde being knocked down, I mean? Did he say anything?”

 

“No, but he didn’t have to,” Loki replied, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “I can read him like a book, Georgiana. I could tell he wasn’t happy about what happened to her. Just as I wasn’t happy about what happened to you.”

 

Georgiana sighed and leaned against him. “In a way I think it was my own fault. I shouldn’t have let him come near me; I should have just gone back inside to find you.”

 

“It isn’t your fault, Georgiana,” Loki insisted, lifting her chin so that her eyes were level with his. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s his fault for being such a revolting letch. You should be allowed to wander about your own garden without having to worry about someone trying to molest you.”

 

Georgiana looked down at him and smiled. “Well, I won’t blame myself, if you don’t blame yourself. Deal?”

 

“I do blame myself, though,” Loki replied. “I should have been with you. He wouldn’t have dared-”

 

“Loki,” Georgiana sighed in a tired tone.

 

Loki knew he had already lost this argument. “Yes, dear,” he teased.

 

Georgiana let out a gasp of indignation and swatted at him. “That makes me sound like an old woman, you beast!”

 

“Beast?” Loki laughed, catching her hands and rolling her underneath him. “You’ve yet to see me play that role, dove, believe me!”

 

Georgiana laughed as he let go of her and then wrapped her arms around his neck. “Deal?” she insisted.

 

Loki smiled. “Deal,” he replied, making a dive for her lips. “I love you, Georgiana.”

 

Georgiana smiled into his kiss. “I love you too, Loki.”

 

Loki sat up, pulling her up with him. “Come on then, my love, we’d best make an appearance at breakfast, otherwise they’ll start to worry.”

 

Georgiana smiled and took his hand. “Lead on, my Prince,” she replied, and as they left the library together, she realised for the first time that she truly felt safe in her husband’s presence.

 


	14. Closer Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their husbands away, Georgiana and Isolde plan to welcome them back home in style...

_Isolde watched as Loki led Georgiana from the scene. “Do you think she’s alright?” she asked Thor, praying that she hadn’t been too late in trying to tear_ _Ótr away from her. She hadn’t appeared hurt, just shaken._

_Thor glanced at her, noting her worry, and offered her a comforting smile. “I’m sure she’s just fine. Loki’ll look after her.”_

_Isolde sighed in relief and then glanced up at him. “Well, it’s a good thing you two came when you did. I don’t know how much longer I’d have been able to fight him off.”_

_Thor’s face clouded. “He shouldn’t have touched either of you.”_

_“It’s alright, Thor,” Isolde insisted. “Well, I mean, it’s not “alright” as such, but some men are just like that. They can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves or take “no” for an answer.”_

_She shivered. “Are you cold?” Thor asked, and when she nodded, he led the way back into the palace. Neither of them noticed that they were still holding hands until Thor unconsciously squeezed her fingers and they both glanced down at their intertwined fingers. Isolde felt herself blushing but neither of them let go, because neither of them wanted to. Something about the action just felt so right. Searching for something to say to make the awkward moment less awkward, Isolde quickly landed on “I just hope this doesn’t strain our relationship with Niðavellir now.”_

_“I doubt it will,” Thor replied as they continued walked. “Hreiðmarr looked very angry with his son. If it had been the other way around and he had accused us of lying and sided with his son, that could have easily ruined our friendship with them.”_

_Isolde nodded. “Well, I suppose four people wouldn’t make up something like that unless there was an element of truth in it, so he felt that we weren’t lying.”_

_They were quiet a moment as they walked through the doors of their room and dropped their joined hands, immediately making for their respective sides of the bed and beginning to undress. However as Thor laid his tunic on the bed and went to pull his shirt off, a thought struck him and he approached her, cautiously. She had her back to him and as she was fiddling with the fastenings of her dress, he caught her hands and she started but thankfully didn’t cry out. Her eyes were wide with curiosity as she turned her head to him in wonder._

_“May I?” Thor asked, his voice dropping an octave as he said it._

_Something about that sent a shiver down her spine, like she was being held by a protective bear, and she nodded, quite unable to find her voice. With surprisingly practiced fingers, Thor undid the lacings holding her dress tight around her and as it loosened, Isolde felt a quiver of anticipation flutter through her core, like butterflies taking flight all at once within her. No man, not even her own Father, had ever come this close to seeing her undressed before. It was a little frightening, but the same time increasingly thrilling. She felt him slowly, tantalizingly, peel both halves of the back of her dress apart, exposing the cream lacings of her corset beneath, but as his hands reached for them, she stopped him and turned her head with a smile at his look of confusion._

_“No, this unfastens at the front,” she explained. “The lacings are just to adjust it.”_

_Thor quickly held up his hands. “My apologies.”_

_“That’s alright,” Isolde giggled, and then she pulled her dress off over the top of her head, her straw-blonde locks catching and bouncing as she did so. Laying it on the bed, she turned to Thor, took his hand and pressed it to the front of her corset. “You see?” she smiled._

_Thor nodded, his eyes on the delicate curves of her waist, which were not at all unappealing to him, and which were highlighted even more so by her undergarments. Isolde took a step towards him, quite liking the feeling of his large hands against her, the place where he was touching her warm and tingling, and Thor lifted his eyes to hers. Neither of them spoke. It was as if suddenly a veil had been lifted, a wall broken down, and they could see one another properly for the first time in their marriage, that they could look past the fact that this was a person to whom they had been wed without their own consent, that they could see the appeal of the other. Thor, after all, was very handsome, and Isolde very beautiful, and now for the first time it was as if they could finally see what everyone else saw and what they themselves had been unable to at first._

_It was Thor who made the first move, leaning down and crushing his lips to hers. He half expected her to make some soft squeak of surprise, but she didn’t, which could only mean one thing, that she wanted this just as much as he did. Isolde reached up and slipped both arms around his neck, leaning up on her toes to be level with him, since he was quite a bit taller than she was, and Thor slipped his arm about her waist, holding her gently, worried that if he crushed her body against his, he might hurt her. His other hand moved from resting on her abdomen upwards to splay his fingers across her ribs and Isolde sighed into his mouth when he did that. Wondering if she might expect too much of him tonight, Thor hesitantly broke the kiss._

_“Isolde...” He didn’t quite know how to say it, although it made it easier knowing that her eyes were still closed as she caught her breath. He decided to just go for it. “I’ve never... actually...” The words were left lingering in the air but the implication was clear and he sighed. “Before,” he finished, stepping back from her._

_Isolde blushed and looked at her feet. “Neither have I. And...I don’t actually know when I’ll...want to...”_

_Thor dropped his hands from her sides and took her hand in his, causing her to look up at him. “There’s time for all that,” he promised, bringing a smile to her lips as he brushed the back of her hand with a kiss. “Whenever you’re ready.”_

_“Thank you, Thor,” Isolde whispered, touched by his understanding, and even as she turned away from him to reach for her nightgown, she couldn’t help stealing a glance at him as he finished undressing. She couldn’t help marveling at the muscles in his arms and the fine lines of his toned chest and stomach and found herself blushing like a schoolgirl as she pulled her nightgown on over her head and hung her dress up in the wardrobe. For the first time since their marriage, they watched one another as they climbed into bed, exchanging the types of secret smiles forbidden lovers exchange after a night of passion together, as they clambered beneath the sheets. The bed felt warm for once, as if just the presence of the other person had set fire to the sheets. Isolde lay down and turned on her side, facing Thor. He was surprised, but since the view was much lovelier than facing the back of her head, he smiled and she returned it._

_“You’re very good at kissing,” Isolde murmured, casting her eyes downwards, focusing on the hem of his sleep tunic rather than his face as she said it. “Not that I have anything to compare it to.”_

_Thor smiled and then, without really being aware that he was doing it, brushed a strand of her hair out of her eyes, causing her to look up at him again. “Well, I do have a few times to compare it to, Isolde, but I have to say, I think you must be the best.”_

_She beamed at him, feeling a kick of happiness inside her that she hadn’t felt in a long time. “Thank you, Thor.” Then, spontaneously, she reached forwards and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before turning over with a murmur of “Goodnight,” feeling that if she looked at him any longer she might start laughing in her sudden joy._

_Thor blinked at the suddenness of her affection and then smile. “Goodnight, Isolde,” he replied, softly, and when morning came, it found them both curled up together, Isolde with her back pressed into her husband’s front and Thor with his arms thrown loosely about his wife’s waist._

“Something’s been happening between them,” Georgiana whispered.

 

Loki looked up as Thor and Isolde came into the room. They weren’t touching – Thor had both hands behind his back and Isolde had hers clasped in front of her, as if they were young lovers new to courting rather than husband and wife – but to Georgiana’s mind, the way they seemed so comfortable around one another all of a sudden was proof enough that something had changed.

 

“What, you don’t think they’ve been intimate, do you?” Loki asked in a low tone. “I think Thor would have mentioned it to me if they had been.”

 

It had been three days since his conversation with Thor about bedroom matter. Hreiðmarr and his party had left the day before, and Asgard seemed to be settling back down to normal again, and whilst Loki and Georgiana had been too wrapped up in one another to notice much about Thor and Isolde, they could see now that something was different for them.

 

“No, Isolde doesn’t quite have that glow about her,” Georgiana agreed, and besides she had a feeling that Thor would be walking with more of a spring in his step if that were the case.

 

“Glow?” Loki asked, swiveling his eyes to hers.

 

“Yes, you know,” Georgiana replied, a slightly mischievous look in her eyes as she said it. “The glow that most women have about them when something wonderful’s just happened, like the way people said I was glowing when we got married.”

 

“Yes, but you always seem to be glowing,” Loki replied with a smile and she laughed, softly.

 

“What are we talking about?” Isolde asked, coming up with Thor.

 

Georgiana smiled. “Loki was just making a jest.” She nudged his foot with hers under the table as she said it, to show that she knew his compliment had been sincere and Loki returned the gesture, making her smile broader.

 

“So, are you ready for today, then?” Thor asked, clapping Loki’s shoulder a little too enthusiastically.

 

“Ready for what?” Loki asked, rubbing the spot indignantly, although he neither winced nor complained at his brother’s touch.

 

“The Big Hunt,” Thor said, as if it were obvious, looking at Loki as if he had gone mental.

 

“That’s _today?”_ Loki asked, his surprise genuine. To be perfectly honest he had been spending so much time with Georgiana lately he had lost track of the days.

 

“Yes, as it has been for the last twenty years,” Thor laughed, and Loki resisted the urge to hit him in front of both their wives. “Why; did you have other plans today? Because you’re going to have to cancel them.”

 

“I forgot,” Loki sighed, glancing apologetically at Georgiana. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s alright,” Georgiana smiled. “We can wander through town another day.”

 

“Well, we could still do that,” Isolde suggested, brightly. “If our men are going hunting, I for one certainly don’t intend to just sit quietly in the palace and wait with nothing to do.”

 

Everyone laughed at how determined she sounded. “Yes, why not?” Georgiana agreed. “Have a girls’ day out together.”

 

Loki shot Isolde a grateful look as they settled down to breakfast. The topic turned quickly to the nature of the hunt, and previous hunts that Odin had led before his sons had even been born. Georgiana barely paid attention, however, thinking privately to herself that it might actually be nice to just spend some time alone with Isolde, and then perhaps she could find out what had suddenly made her friend so happy lately.

 

“Be careful,” she murmured to Loki as the time finally came for them to leave. Even though she knew that Loki was perfectly capable of holding his own in such activities – she had seen him practice in the training ground and been more than impressed by his fighting skills – she couldn’t help remembering what he had been through in the war, and she worried about him when he was away from home.

 

Loki smiled and pulled her into a hug. “I will be,” he murmured. “I promise.”

 

“You’d better,” Georgiana couldn’t help teasing.

 

Loki laughed. “Trust me,” he said, pulling away from her. “We’ll be fine.”

 

Georgiana reached up and kissed him with a murmur of “I love you,” and felt warm inside when he whispered “I love you too,” back against her lips.

 

“Come on, Loki!” Thor called, already astride Torden. “Or you’ll get left behind!”

 

“Riding Sleipnir? Impossible!” Loki retorted, swinging himself up into the saddle.

 

Georgiana giggled and then as she and Loki watched, Isolde went up to Thor and said, with a sweet smile that was genuine, “Don’t be home too late.”

 

Thor turned to her with a grin and then, to the surprise of everyone, leaned down and kissed her forehead before turning Torden in the direction of the gates and slapping the reins, causing the horse to take off at a trot.

 

“Isolde,” Loki said, glancing at her, “whatever you’re doing to my brother, please don’t stop.” Then, with one final smile to Georgiana, he urged Sleipnir to follow Torden and the two women sidled closer together as they watched the hunting party move out of sight.

 

“We’ll be back before dark!” Odin called over his shoulder as he passed them.

 

“Come on, then,” Isolde grinned, grabbing Georgiana’s hand and pulling her in the direction of the town. Georgiana laughed and they began to run together, like back in their school days.

 

“So...?” she smiled, as they finally slowed and she slipped her arm through Isolde’s. “You and Thor seem a bit...friendlier, should I say, of late.”

 

Isolde blushed. “He really is rather charming when you get to know him.”

 

“Oh, I know,” Georgiana agreed. “For all his muscle and fighting spirit, he is a nice person.”

 

“Is that what you said about Loki when you married him?” Isolde teased.

 

Georgiana smiled. “No. It was different for us.” She hesitated and then went on “You see, when we were first betrothed, I was only four days old and Loki was three, and our parents claimed that we loved each other the second we met. I don’t know if that’s even possible when you’re that age, but apparently Loki was really protective of me, and I fell asleep in his arms because I felt safe with him. It’s like we made a connection without even knowing it. And then when we met again, well, I didn’t really believe in love at first sight until the day before our wedding.”

 

“That is so sweet,” Isolde returned with a smile.

 

“Every couple’s different, I suppose,” Georgiana mused. “My parents were in an arranged marriage too, but they became devoted to each other, and Odin and Frigga were friends first, so it wasn’t so much of a transition for them, from friends to lovers.”

 

“Same with my parents before my Mother died,” Isolde agreed.

 

The town was bustling this morning, people flitting about buying this and selling that, nodding and muttering a friendly greeting as they passed, and peddlers on the streets shouting their wares, the scent of freshly baked breads and sweetmeats and ripe fruit and freshly caught fish lingering in the air around them.

 

“Hm, I wonder what this place is,” Isolde murmured, nodding to a sign that simply read Eulalie’s above the door and had shuttered windows.

 

“Maybe an apothecary,” Georgiana mused, leading the way into through the open door.

 

To their surprise, however, it was not an apothecary, far from it, but a store filled with wooden mannequins displaying women’s undergarments. They were not raunchy, however, Georgiana was startled to find, but rather tasteful, in an array of colours with lace or ribbons, not the kind of thing worn by the brothel women she read about in books, but more the kind that married women might wear for their husbands.

 

“Ladies,” smiled a charming assistant with dark skin and hair and beautiful made-up brown eyes, dressed in a pale blue simple tunic dress with open sleeves. “How may I help you? Or would you like to browse by yourselves?”

 

“Perhaps you could show us around?” Isolde suggested.

 

“Certainly. My name is Hildr, by the way, and welcome to Eulalie’s. We stock a wide range of tasteful undergarments for women to not only increase their beauty but also their confidence, at least that’s what we hope.”

 

Georgiana could see why as they passed by a range of secure looking short little bloomers made from pale lilac silk and decorated with subtle flower patterns; she could understand someone feeling attractive but confident whilst wearing them. They were the kind of thing you could wear under your clothing in public, and then not feel embarrassed about wearing in front of your lover. The same could be said for the corsets and chemise’s which were made to match the bloomers; there was something nice about them, and when she ran her fingers subtly across the satin, a tingling of excitement ran through her.

 

Hildr continued talking as she showed them the different styles that Eulalie’s produced, and Georgiana soon found her eyes caught by a two-piece set that consisted of satin bloomers so short that they stopped a few inches lower than the top of the thigh and a chemise with thin straps and a flowing bodice, both a delicate blue shade and trimmed with black lace. She paused in front of it, wondering if it felt as comfortable as it looked.

 

“This is one of our most popular products, my lady,” Hildr smile, floating up to her. “Would it be for someone special?”

 

Georgiana caught the meaning of her words and blushed. “My husband.”

 

“Wow,” Isolde murmured, stroking the lace. “I thought people said that when you put lace on undergarments it was supposed to itch but this is so soft.”

 

Georgiana turned to Hildr. “I don’t suppose you have it in green, do you?”

 

 _If not, then I won’t buy it,_ she thought, _although it would be a shame not to give Loki a change from all those childish white things he’s always stripping me out of._

 

Hildr smiled. “Certainly, Madame. They come in a range of colours, including green. Would you like me to take your size?”

 

Making up her mind, Georgiana nodded and then as Hildr went for a tape measure, she glanced at Isolde. “You should get some, see what Thor would make of them.”

 

It was Isolde’s turn to blush. “We haven’t actually...done that, yet.”

 

“Oh. But it might be nice for when you do,” Georgiana added, thoughtfully.

 

“If you’d like to follow me, Madame,” Hildr began, beckoning her towards a changing room.

 

“Oh, could you do me too?” Isolde asked, following.

 

Georgiana grinned at her. “You should get some in red and grey, if they do them like that. Thor’s colours.”

 

Isolde looked thoughtful. “I hadn’t thought about that. Do you think he’d like that?”

 

“Well, Loki thinks green suits me,” Georgiana replied as Hildr began to take her measurements. “And I quite like wearing his colours anyway; makes me feel closer to him somehow.”

 

“Ah, so you two are wives to the young Princes?” Hildr grinned at them. “In that case, I simply cannot let you leave here empty handed.”

 

It turned out they did make the undergarments in red and grey, as well as green and black, with gold thread patterns.

 

“Have you ever considered doing something different with _your_ hair?” Isolde asked as they passed a salon. “Like straightening it or something?”

 

Georgiana laughed. “Loki would kill me if I did that; he loves my hair as it is! Anyway, I once read somewhere that women only ever change their hairstyle when there’s a new man they’re trying to impress.”

 

Isolde laughed too. “Fair enough.”

 

Georgiana paused, however, as they passed a stall selling hair decorations. “I have often wondered how it might look dressed with flowers, though,” she mused.

 

In the end they both bought hair flowers.

 

“Ah, Ladies,” smiled a woman outside a shop selling scent, holding out a bottle to them. “Try our new scent; it’s called Experience.”

 

Georgiana allowed her to dab a little on the back of her hand and sniffed it gently. She was met with a sweet, fresh aroma of something she couldn’t describe but it smelled wonderful. “That’s lovely,” she smiled, offering Isolde a sniff of it.

 

A bottle of Experience each was quickly added to their bags.

 

By the time the sky began to grow dark, the hunting party were making their way back to the Palace, and Georgiana was in her room with Isolde, both experimenting with the feel of their new undergarments.

 

“I’m sure Thor won’t be able to resist you any longer,” Georgiana teased as she pulled her dress back on over her head.

 

Isolde laughed and then faced her with a serious look. “Georgiana...what does it feel like? When Loki makes love to you? How does it make you feel?”

 

Georgiana smiled. “Well, at first it felt a little strange...and yet at the same time...not. It felt...right, natural, like we’d been born to fit together like that. And then suddenly it was like I’d learned to fly, like I’d just stepped off the brink of a cliff and started walking on the clouds.” She sat down on the bed, trying to work out how best to describe it to someone who had never felt it before. “And I just felt...so loved... maybe it was because he was holding me so closely, but it was like...I felt protected but not smothered, and there was this feeling like I knew this was how it was going to be for the rest of my life and I couldn’t wait for it, I wanted it so badly, because it was so exciting and thrilling and then...it was like an explosion of everything good.” Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she added “It’s wonderful, Isolde; being made love to, especially by someone who cares about you, because then they concentrate on making _you_ feel good, not just enjoying it themselves.”

 

Isolde smiled as she fastened her dress. “It doesn’t hurt?”

 

“Not a bit,” Georgiana replied, “although I read somewhere that it can if you’re not relaxed, but when you are, it’s not painful at all. And I’m sure that even if for any reason it was,” she added, “Thor would stop if you asked him to.”

 

Isolde nodded. “I’m sure he would.”

 

“Are you ready for him to, though?” Georgiana asked as Isolde sat down beside her. “Make love to you, I mean?”

 

Isolde thought for a minute. “I’m not sure. So far we’ve held hands and we’ve kissed and I hugged him that day he stood up for me,” Georgiana smiled to herself, “but he’s never...had a woman like that yet either, so I think we’re waiting until we’re both ready for it. And a few days ago, I wasn’t. But now...I’m beginning to wonder.”

 

Georgiana squeezed her hand. “Perhaps you two need to see for yourselves how far you’re willing to let the other person go, and how far you’re willing to go too.”

 

Before Isolde could answer, there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” Georgiana called, and a servant popped his head around the door.

 

“Begging your pardon, my Lady,” he smiled, “but the Queen told me to let you know that the AllFather and his party have just returned.”

 

Georgiana sprang to her feet at once. “Thank you,” she said, and then, with Isolde in her wake, she hurried out of the room and in the direction of the courtyard. The party was beginning to break up as those who didn’t live in the Palace itself were making their way home, and those who did were handing their horses over to the stable lads to rub down and care for. Georgiana flew down the steps and flung herself into Loki’s arms. With a grin, Loki caught her up and swung her about, setting her gently back on her feet.

 

“Best catch I’ve had all day,” he smiled at her.

 

“Oh, Loki,” Georgiana laughed, fondly, reaching up to kiss him. “Welcome home,” she added in a whisper.

 

Thor looked surprised but pleased when Isolde ran up to hug him. He glance at Loki and joked “If this is the way we get welcomed home, we should leave more often.”

 

“Not a chance,” Loki laughed.

 

“Did you catch anything?” Isolde asked.

 

“A few deer and some boar,” Thor replied. “And we would have had a Bilgesnipe if _someone_ had kept quiet a little better!”

 

“It’s not my fault I had to sneeze!” Fandral called from over by the stables.

 

Everyone laughed. “Good sport, then?” Georgiana asked, pressing closer into Loki’s side.

 

“Very,” Loki replied, slipping his arm around her waist and looking down at her apologetically. “I’m sorry it interfered with our plans, though.”

 

“It’s alright,” Georgiana replied, truthfully, smiling over at Isolde. “We have a good time, didn’t we, Isolde?”

 

“Extremely,” Isolde agreed.

 

A part of Georgiana did wonder, however, if she had done the right thing. The undergarments did look nice on her, but would Loki think that? Or did he prefer her in those plain white things she always wore? She felt suddenly nervous.

 

 _No,_ a voice inside her head told her, _don’t think like that. Loki loves you, and he said himself that green looks good on you. I’m sure he’ll think you look nice._

 

Even so when it came time for them to go to bed, she felt another quiver of worry inside her. Her courses had finished early, which meant that she and Loki could make love once more, but would he still want to when he saw how she was dressed?

 

“Everything alright, dove?” Loki asked, startling her out of her thoughts. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and she smiled. “You’re very quiet.”

 

“Meaning I usually talk a lot?” Georgiana teased, lightly, provoking a chuckle from him.

 

“Not at all,” Loki replied, kissing her.

 

Georgiana waited until he had gone to the bathroom and then undressed quickly, pausing only once to run her hands down the smooth feel of the satin chemise before dabbing a little, just a hint, of Experience on her neck and wrists and then dressing her hair with a few of the fake rose decorations she had bought with Isolde. The effect was simple, but she thought she looked nice.

 

 _Get it together,_ Georgiana, she scolded herself inwardly. _Why are you so nervous? It’s Loki; he loves you._

The door opened suddenly, startling her, and she found herself dropping her hands and her eyes and blushing deeply, not wanting to meet his eyes. Had she looked up in that moment, however, she would have seen that Loki looked surprised but not at all repulsed, quite the opposite in fact.

 

“Georgiana,” he murmured when he eventually found his voice and when she didn’t look up, he stepped up to her and lifted her chin so that their eyes met. “You look beautiful.”

 

Her breath caught in her throat but she managed to whisper “Thank you. They’re new.”

 

“I can see that,” Loki smiled, running a hand through her hair. “Darling, did you do this just for me?”

 

Georgiana nodded. “I thought you might get tired of seeing me in white undergarments all the time.”

 

“Well, you _do_ look ravishing in my colours,” Loki replied, before kissing her. Georgiana clung to him in relief, and then giggled as Loki picked her up and carried her over to the bed, his mouth still pressed to hers. They made short work of shucking his own clothes to the floor and then her new bloomers followed, however when Georgiana made to pull off her chemise, Loki caught her hands and stopped her. “No,” he murmured, kissing her neck. “Leave it on.”

 

Georgiana understood; he wanted to make love to her whilst she was dressed in his colours. “Very well,” she smiled, pressing up against him and feeling his arousal jump against her. “But no ripping, please; I would like to wear these again someday.”

 

Loki chuckled. “If _this_ is what you get up to in town, maybe you don’t need me to be with you after all.”

 

“Maybe,” Georgiana returned with a mischievous look of her own. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t _want_ you with me there.”

 

It turned out to be one of the best nights of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to tell a little about what happened in Chapter 12 from Thor and Isolde's point of view, or rather what happened with them after Loki and Georgiana left. (I got the title from a Keane song I discovered the other day.)


	15. The Sun's Getting Cold, It's Snowing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow day in Asgard...

Days in Asgard began to pass somewhat uneventfully after that, for most people at any rate. For Loki and Georgiana, just spending time together was enough, and as the days began to grow colder, their time found them mainly curled up together in front of the library with an open book rather than out in the grounds, or about the town together. The library, after all, had so many books on offer, and they alternates between reading aloud to one another or reading the book quietly at the same time together and checking when the other was done with their page before turning it over.

 

They ended up going through quite a lot of books in the run up to winter.

 

Georgiana decided that she wanted to take to wearing green a little more often, not just for Loki but for herself. It was nice, she realised, the feeling it gave her, marking her out as Loki’s wife, a woman no other man could touch but he, and even when she wore an outfit that wasn’t green, she tried to incorporate it in somehow, with a hair ribbon or a sash. It gave her a warm feeling inside each morning when Loki noticed her use of the green and smiled at her, setting a flame inside her heart.

 

“Darling, you don’t _have_ to keep on wearing green for me every day,” Loki murmured one evening as they snuggled together beneath the sheets. In the hottest summer months in Asgard, snuggling together wasn’t an option because it got so warm and sticky, but in the winter, even with the heating on, it was certainly preferable to do so than not. “I mean, it _does_ look good on you,” he added, pressing a thoughtful kiss to her hairline, “but you don’t need to change your whole wardrobe just for me.”

 

Georgiana smiled and pressed closer to him. “I want to, though, Loki. Reminds me I’m yours.”

 

“Oh do you need reminding?” Loki teased. “I would have thought that was obvious.”

 

“Loki,” Georgiana laughed. “You can’t use my own words on me. That isn’t fair.”

 

“When have I ever played fair, dove?” Loki whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

 

“Well, you have met your match in _me,_ Loki Odinson,” she murmured, closing her eyes as he began to kiss and nuzzle her neck, tantalizingly, teasingly. “I can be as mischievous as you when I choose to.”

 

“Oh, I know that, Georgiana, my Princess,” Loki smirked, kissing her collar bone as she tilted her head back. “I know that.”

 

Georgiana giggled and slid her arms around his neck. “Is that why you love me so much, my Prince?”

 

“Mm, that’s one of the reasons,” Loki admitted, finally pressing his lips to hers and revelling in the small moans of pleasure she emitted as he did so.

 

The next morning, however, they both received a rather unpleasant awakening, as they were both lying in one another’s arms, quite peacefully, when Loki was thrown out of his slumber by something wet and freezing cold hitting his face. With a yelp, he awoke, at the same time thrashing the arm that was wrapped around Georgiana, resulting in him accidently throwing her to the floor with a shriek of her own.

 

“Ow!” Georgiana moaned, rubbing her arm.

 

“What the Hel-?!” Loki shouted, whipping the covers off himself and getting to his feet, brushing snow from his face and neck. “Thor!”

 

“I was Challenged!” Thor insisted, throwing up his hands and from behind the doors Loki could hear Fandral and Volstagg laughing.

 

“Get out!” he yelled at Thor, who scarpered at once, tossing a “Lighten up, Brother!” over his shoulder as he went. Calming himself, Loki turned and then realised Georgiana was crouched on the floor, rubbing her arm. His heart lurched at once as he rushed over to crouch beside her.

 

“Georgiana, I’m so sorry,” he exclaimed, wrapping her in a hug. “Are you alright? I’m sorry. I had no idea that was going to happen.”

 

Georgiana managed a shaky laugh as she buried her head in the crook of his neck. “It’s alright, Loki. I know it was an accident.”

 

Loki picked her up and carried her back to their bed, tucking the covers around her and kissing her arm where she had banged it. “I’m going to murder Thor,” he muttered.

 

“He didn’t know that would happen,” Georgiana replied.

 

“No, but he’s an idiot,” Loki sighed.

 

“Loki,” Georgiana replied, cupping his face and bringing his eyes up level with hers. “Don’t get mad. Get even.”

 

Loki smiled. “You mean-?”

 

“Yes, I do,” Georgiana confirmed, leaning forwards to kiss him. Her mischievous look matched Loki’s as he took her hands, pulled her out of bed and led her into the bathroom. Once they had both bathed and dressed, Georgiana pulled out her old faded purple cloak, trimmed with lace and fastened with black ribbon at the collar and pulled it on, remembering how Loki had tied his own around her shoulders the evening before their wedding when she had been cold.

 

“Cloak?” she queried when Loki showed no signs of putting it on.

 

“I think I’ll be alright,” Loki replied.

 

“Loki,” Georgiana sighed. “It would make me feel better.”

 

Loki glanced at it and then smiled at her. “Alright, dove, for you.”

 

“Well, if you’re allowed to fuss over me so much,” Georgiana replied, going up to him and fastening it for him, “aren’t I allowed to fuss over you?”

 

Loki grinned at her. “Very true,” he agreed, taking her hand and leading her from the room.

 

The plan was simple; get Thor back for their impolite awakening, and the opportunity came quicker than anticipated as they made their way out into the grounds and spotted Thor and Isolde walking a little way ahead of them, both bundled up against the cold.

 

“I’ve got an idea,” Georgiana whispered, and then after telling him, she gave him a playful shove in the right direction before hurrying to catch up to the others. “Thor! Wait!”

 

Thor and Isolde stopped and turned to her and it was then that Georgiana noticed they were holding hands. She couldn’t help smiling before remembering what she was supposed to be doing. “Look, about this morning-”

 

“I’m sorry you got hurt,” Thor interrupted. “That wasn’t meant to happen. I didn’t expect Loki to react so violently.”

 

“That’s alright, I wasn’t hurt much,” Georgiana smiled. “And I just wanted to say that I don’t blame you for it. I’m not angry or anything, although Loki’s rather irritated, so you’re probably best to steer clear of him for a while.”

 

Crouching behind the wall, Loki smiled to himself as he listened to her. _Well done, dove,_ he thought, _Thor will never see this coming._

 

“What’s this?” Isolde asked, glancing at Thor.

 

Thor had the decency to look embarrassed as he admitted “Fandral Challenged me this morning to wake Loki up by throwing a snowball at him. I’m afraid it worked a little more effectively than I pictured.”

 

“Yes, I happened to be cuddled up to Loki at the time,” Georgiana added, “and when he jumped, I ended up on the floor.”

 

“Again, that wasn’t meant to happen,” Thor ended.

 

“Well, no wonder Loki’s annoyed with you,” Isolde scolded, although her eyes were soft and she was smiling as she said it. “I would be if you did that to me.”

 

“I’d never do that to you,” Thor protested.

 

Loki took his chance whilst his brother was distracted and jumped over the wall, cannoning into Thor, who let out a yell as he was knocked forwards and landed face down in the snowbank they were standing beside.

 

“There,” Loki said, smugly, rolling off his brother and tossing a snowball to the back of his head. “Now we’re even.”

 

Thor looked up at him, brushing snow out of his beard. “That was hardly fair sportsmanship, Loki.”

 

“And throwing a snowball at me in bed was?” Loki asked.

 

Georgiana quickly tossed the snowball she had been concealing behind her back at Thor and as it hit him in the face, he let out a groan of “Oh, come on!”

 

“I’m sorry, Thor, but you really did have that coming,” Georgiana laughed, and then let out a soft shriek of “Oh!” as a snowball hit the back of her cloak. She turned to Isolde with an indignant look and Isolde laughed.

 

“What? I’m supposed to stand up for my husband, aren’t I?” she exclaimed, and Thor grinned at her, gratefully.

 

“Fine, then you won’t mind _me_ standing up for my wife,” Loki replied, throwing a snowball at her, and Isolde tried to duck but it hit her shoulder and she squealed with laughter.

 

“Alright, this means war!” Thor laughed, throwing a snowball at Loki, and suddenly all four of them were hard at it, flinging snowballs left, right and centre and laughing fit to burst as they did so.

 

“What’s going on?” said Fandral, suddenly popping up from somewhere and then received a snowball in his own face, courtesy of Georgiana.

 

“That’s for my husband, Fandral!” she cried as Loki began to laugh.

 

“Alright, two can play at this,” Fandral muttered, bending down to pick up a handful of snow and then yelping as Loki flung a snowball down his collar.

 

“Couldn’t resist, sorry,” he grinned.

 

With Sif and the rest of the Warrior Three soon joining them, what started as a snowball fight became more of a snowball war, four a side, with Thor, Isolde, Sif and Fandral on one team and Loki, Georgiana, Volstagg and Hogun on the other.

 

“Split up!” Volstagg suggested as they found themselves almost backed into a corner by the other team. “They can’t get all of us!”

 

“Want to bet on that, Volstagg?” Sif laughed.

 

“Go!” Volstagg insisted, dramatically. “Save yourselves! I’ll hold them off!”

 

“Come on,” Loki whispered, grabbing Georgiana’s hand and running with her, Hogun running alongside them. Georgiana found herself laughing as they ran together, and then as Hogun ducked behind a nearby shrub, Loki pulled her into the nearest covered walkway and they stopped for a moment to catch their breath.

 

“Papa would have loved this,” Georgiana murmured, wistfully, glancing at the snow. “He always played with us in the snow when we were younger.” Loki said nothing, simply pulled her into his arms, sensing she needed a hug and his suspicions were confirmed when she returned it, resting her head against his shoulder and clinging to him. “Thank you,” she murmured.

 

“For what?” Loki asked.

 

“For always being there when I need you,” Georgiana replied.

 

Loki tightened his hold on her a little, feeling a great warm rush of love for her. “I love you, Georgina,” he murmured, kissing her hair.

 

Georgiana smiled and lifted her head. “I love you too, Loki,” she whispered.

 

Slowly, Loki brought up both hands and pulled her hood down before cupping her face and kissing her. Georgiana closed her eyes, feeling slightly dizzy but safe, and very, very warm wrapped in his embrace despite the cold of the day. They were both interrupted, however, as a snowball hit Loki in the small of the back and they both jumped, Georgiana feeling the impact of the hit due to her being pressed so close to him, and broke apart, turning in the direction it had come from. Sif and Fandral laughed at them.

 

“Isn’t it always you that says you need to take the enemy by surprise, Loki?” Sif teased.

 

Loki grinned, brushing snow from his cloak. “Indeed, Sif.” Then, with a quick whip of magic, he caused a pile of snow from the nearest tree branch to land on top of them, coating them in white and cold as Georgiana began to laugh.

 

“Damn it!” Fandral groaned, shaking snow from his collar, and then found himself pelted with snowballs from Volstagg and Hogun until he shouted for mercy. “We’re the Warriors Three!” he pointed out as he finally shook all the snow off himself. “We’re supposed to be united, not divided!”

 

“Blame Loki!” Thor, who had just come up, exclaimed, tossing a snowball between his hands. “He started this!”

 

 _“You_ started this!” Loki argued. “This morning, when you woke me up!”

 

“I was Challenged!” Thor protested.

 

“Yes,” Georgiana agreed, “by Fandral, so technically this is all your fault, isn’t it?” she added, looking meaningfully at Fandral, who frowned and scratched his head.

 

“Well, when you put it like that, yes,” he admitted, and this time it was Thor who threw a snowball at him, causing the others to laugh and Fandral joined in as he wiped snow out of his eyes. A warm atmosphere settled around them, the feeling of happiness from being amongst friends and soon they all turned and headed back towards the Palace.

 

“Hold on,” Hogun frowned as they crossed the courtyard. “Who actually won that fight?”

 

“We did, my friend,” Loki replied, before sweeping a handful of snow off the wall and throwing it at Thor. “You see?”

 

“Alright, Loki,” Thor laughed, heartily. “I’ll let you win.”

 

“Oh, well, aren’t you kind?” Loki teased, provoking the others to laugh again.

 

Thor grinned at him. “Sorry about the rude awakening.”

 

“Next time you feel the need to wake me up like that, make sure I’m not in a position to accidently throw my wife off the bed,” Loki replied, slipping his arm around Georgiana’s waist and pulling her close. “How’s the arm, darling?” he added in a whisper as he kissed her cheek.

 

“Fine now,” Georgiana breathed, and then added to the others “I wasn’t really hurt; it was the shock more than anything.”

 

“Hail, Good Warriors!”

 

The eight of them looked up to see Odin standing at the top of the Palace steps, smiling benevolently down at them. “I trust the battle has now been well and truly won?” he asked, pleasantly. Loki and Thor were reminded of the times he used to play with them, pretending he was a great beast that they as the young, fearless warriors had to slay, the kindly father figure.

 

“Yes, indeed,” Thor replied, grinning as he took Isolde’s arm. “Although it was rather rough going for some of it.”

 

“So, which side won?” Odin asked, although from the tone of his voice, they had a feeling he already knew.

 

“Ours did,” Georgiana replied.

 

“And very honourably too, Allfather,” Sif reported, and the two women exchanged smiles.

 

“Yes, we were bested,” Fandral teased, “thought we put up a fair fight.”

 

“Well, even warriors have to eat,” Odin reminded them. “Lady Sif, would you and your Warriors Three care to join us for breakfast?”

 

“It would be an honour, Allfather,” Sif replied, and the Warriors Three all bowed their heads respectfully.

 

Georgiana smiled at Loki as they followed the others into the banquet hall. “See, now wasn’t that revenge far better than simply killing your brother?” she teased.

 

“Yes,” Loki agreed, “and far less messy too.”

 

Georgiana laughed. “Yes, I have heard that blood is far harder to shift than snow, my Prince.”

 

Loki glanced at her as she removed her cloak and handed it to the servant who had come to take them. He frowned. “You’re not wearing anything green today.”

 

“Yes, I am,” Georgiana replied, stepping closer to him and whispering, “but I’m going to have to show you when we’re alone together.”

 

Understanding, Loki squeezed her hand and then led her into the hall, feeling that he couldn’t wait for the night to come.

 


	16. Winter and Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A kind gesture ends up being a little bit more than that...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like writing quite a bit for Loki today in honour of Tom Hiddleston's birthday.

The snow soon settled down over Asgard, although the cold didn’t and Georgiana found herself bundling up warmly every time she wanted to go outside. Not that she wasn’t used to that, of course, it was the same all over Althrop as in Asgard, but she could never quite get over how cold it could get. Even Loki, who claimed not to feel the cold that much, dressed warmly for facing it whenever they went out together, although inwardly Georgiana wondered if that wasn’t just for her sake, to stop her from worrying about him.

 

Since that first conversation she had had with Isolde about being intimate with her husband, neither of them had spoken about such matters, and Georgiana took that to mean that it still hadn’t happened yet for Isolde and Thor. Still, she reflected, they could move at their own pace. Their path towards possibly falling in love was only just beginning, whereas hers had begun a long time ago; her heart had belonged to Loki since she was just four days old, if such things were possible. She still liked to believe they were.

 

“Do you think they will?” she murmured, absently, to Loki as they walked along together, arm in arm. “Fall in love?”

 

Loki glanced at her. They’d been walking in silence for a while, so he was surprised by her question. “That depends.”

 

“On what?” Georgiana asked.

 

“On who we’re talking about,” Loki replied, with a grin.

 

Georgiana blushed. “Sorry, I suppose I was thinking out loud there.”

 

“Well, if you’re on about Thor and Isolde,” Loki replied, sliding his arm from hers and taking her hand instead, “my answer would have to be “very probably.”

 

“Yes?” Georgiana smiled, hopefully.

 

Loki grinned at her. “I might not know Isolde as well as you do, but I do know my brother, and quite honestly I’ve never seen Thor so relaxed around a woman before in his life. Well, other than Mother and Sif, of course.”

 

Georgiana laughed and swung their joined hands. “Well, Sif’s practically family, anyway. At least, that’s how I like to think of her. And the Warriors Three.”

 

Before Loki could answer, something hit him in the back of the leg. He jumped, almost but not quite stumbling forwards, his boot slipping against the ice, but he managed to stay upright as they both looked around for the source of the disturbance. The object that had his him was a large, leather ball and as Loki bent down to retrieve it, a young boy came running up to them, slipping a little himself on the ice. In fact, he seemed so eager to retrieve the ball that he almost fell over right in front of them and he would have done so if Georgiana hadn’t caught hold of his arm with a soft laugh of “Whoa, careful!”

 

“Sorry, Your Highness,” the boy replied, looking nervously at Loki. He looked to be about eight or nine years old, with dusty, fair hair and wide eyes.

 

“That’s alright,” Loki replied, with a gentle smile as he held the ball out. “I take it this is yours?”

 

The boy nodded and carefully took it from him. He seemed worried, Georgiana noted, so she crouched level with the boy and offered him a friendly smile. “It’s alright, you know. Contrary to popular opinion, my husband doesn’t bite.”

 

“What do you mean “contrary to popular opinion?” Loki asked in surprise.

 

“So, I’m not in trouble?” the boy asked.

 

Georgiana frowned. “Well, why would you be in trouble? We know it was an accident, and no one got hurt.”

 

The boy looked at his feet. “But you’re royalty, and I’m supposed to behave myself, otherwise you’ll lock me up.”

 

Loki crouched down to the boy’s level. “What’s your name?”

 

“Petr, Your Highness,” the boy replied, politely. “Petr Bahadurson.”

 

“Well, Petr,” Loki went on, “who’s been telling you such things?”

 

“My Father, Your Highness,” Petr replied, finally looking Loki in the eye. “He says that I should be a good boy or else I’ll get locked up in the palace dungeons with all the other criminals.”

 

“Oh.” Loki smiled. “Well, Petr, let me tell you that that is just the kind of thing parents tell their children to make sure that they behave themselves. But you won’t be locked up in a dungeon just for kicking a ball around and accidently hitting a Prince with it.”

 

“I won’t?” Petr asked, looking up at him with big, hopeful eyes.

 

“No,” Loki confirmed with a smile. “My Father used to tell me the same kind of thing; he’d say “Loki, be in bed by nine or else the Norns will get you.”And you know what?”

 

“What?” Petr asked.

 

“One night, I didn’t go to bed at nine. I went out into the palace gardens and waited, because I wanted to see if the Norns would come for me. And they never did.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “My Mother would say the same thing to me.”

 

“Petr!” The three of them looked around to see a small girl come running up to them. The second she noticed Loki and Georgiana, however, she hid shyly behind her brother. Behind her was a tall man, clearly a blacksmith, broad and tall with his apron and leather gloves made dark by the smoke in which he worked all day.

 

“Petr, what have you been up to?” his father asked, sternly, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder and pulling him a few steps away from the Prince and Princess. “I am so sorry, Your Highnesses,” he apologised, politely, “if my son’s been bothering you. He does know better.”

 

“He wasn’t bothering us,” Georgiana replied as she and Loki straightened up. “We were having a very pleasant conversation.”

 

“Seems his ball ran away from him and we found it,” Loki added, giving Petr a secret smile when his father wasn’t looking. Petr beamed back at him, gratefully.

 

“Oh.” Bahadur straightened up and he patted his son’s shoulder as he spoke. “Well, thank you both. Petr, say thank you.”

 

“He already did,” Georgiana replied, “Mister-?”

 

“Bahadur, Your Highness; Bahadur Bjarkeson,” Bahadur replied, straightening himself a little.

 

“Mister Bjarkeson,” Georgiana finished, before smiling at the young girl and crouching in front of her. “And what’s your name?”

 

“Alva, Your Highness,” the girl replied, shyly, peering around her brother’s shoulder.

 

“And how old are you, Alva?” Georgiana asked, kindly.

 

“Five, Your Highness,” Alva replied.

 

“Hey, Petr, haven’t you found the ball yet?” Several boys and girls of Petr’s age came running around the corner and Petr immediately ran over to them, with Alva right behind him, but not before giving Loki and Georgiana a cheerful wave goodbye over his shoulder as he tossed the ball towards them.

 

“You’ve raised two very polite children there, Mr Bjarkeson,” Georgiana observed, straightening up again.

 

“Though perhaps you ought to lighten up on the royalty horror stories,” Loki suggested, giving Bahadur a mischievous look. “Your son seems to think he could get arrested just for playing.”

 

Bahadur looked embarrassed. “Really? Oh, I don’t mean to frighten them or anything. It was just what my Father used to say to me when I was younger.”

 

“Well, it must have worked,” Loki quipped. “I’ve never heard your name crop up in our dungeons before.”

 

“Should hope not, Your Highness,” Bahadur replied, politely. “I work an honest trade and have never committed a crime in my life before.”

 

Georgiana smiled as she watched the children playing together. “How many children do you have?”

 

“Just those two,” Bahadur replied, with a fond smile as he looked over to where they were playing. “They’re little bundles of mischief, though, both of them. My wife and I were planning on getting a couple of dogs for them to play with, hoping it’ll wear down their energy a bit, and, well, they’ve always wanted pets,” he added, scratching his ear as he looked slightly embarrassed to admit it, “but so far we haven’t found anywhere that’s selling.”

 

Loki thought for a second. “You know, I think I might be able to help you there. Come by the palace tomorrow morning with your children, tell the guards that Prince Loki sent for you and they’ll let you through.”

 

He held out his hand and Bahadur, looking completely honoured that a Prince of Asgard wished to shake his hand, grasped it at once. “Oh, I’ll certainly do that, Your Highness.”

 

Loki smiled and then took Georgiana’s hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “And now I think we should really be going.”

 

“Yes,” Georgiana agreed, with a slight tinge of regret to her voice. She offered her hand to Bahadur. “Goodbye.”

 

“Goodbye, Your Highness, and take care on these slippery streets. They can be lethal this time of year,” Bahadur advised, kissing her hand.

 

“So, what is all this about then?” Georgiana asked as Loki tugged her in the direction of the palace.

 

“I heard Tyr talking the other day,” Loki replied, referring to one of his Father’s more respected guards, “about how his dog has had puppies and he’s trying to find good homes for some of them.”

 

Georgiana felt her heart swell with a sudden burst of love for him and she stopped, pulling him to a stop too. Loki looked at her beaming face in surprise and then Georgiana flung her arms about him and kissed him. “You’re very sweet,” she murmured, causing him to smile back at her.

 

“Come on, let’s see if we can catch him on his way home,” Loki replied, kissing her again before resuming their journey. Luckily they ran into him on the top step. Tyr, tall, black and with an open, friendly face which could also turn quite fierce-looking when the occasion called for it, greeted them with a respectful nod and a murmur of “My Lord, My Lady.” When Loki told them what they were after, however, his face brightened and he happily led them back to his quarters, around the back of the palace, where they were met by his wife Urd, who showed them into the kitchen where their great hunting dogs, great furry beasts that look to be part wolf, named Gandalf and Saga, were lying in front of the hearth. Gandalf immediately woke with a growl, but on seeing his Master and Mistress, quietened and went to sniff the newcomers. Saga looked, up, lazily, and her expression seemed to soften too at the sight of them.

 

“Oh..!” Georgiana whispered, her heart melting at the sight of the six small puppies, just bundles of fluff and fur really, snuggled beside their mother.

 

Tyr smiled. “You can get closer, my Lady; Saga won’t mind if you want to pick one up.”

 

Loki bit back a laugh at the speed with which his wife practically fell beside Saga and her puppies. She held out a hand to Saga first and was rewarded with a friendly nuzzle and a lick, before she dare to reach out and stroke one of the puppies. The effect was remarkable, as once one woke, with a small yawn, curling its tongue slowly as it did so, they all did and came forwards, yipping in delight at the sight, and scent, of someone new. Georgiana smiled as they began to sniff around her, watched carefully by Saga, and then dared to pick up the nearest one, carefully. “Hello,” she cooed, softly, as the small dog sniffed and then licked her cheek, causing her to giggle.

 

“They’re just about ready to leave Saga now,” Tyr explained. “Though we’ve decided to keep two, just so she and Gandalf won’t feel like they’re losing all their family.” He patted Gandalf as he spoke and the dog sat loyally down at his Master’s feet.

 

“They’re so lovely,” Georgiana exclaimed, giggling as one tried to crawl over another and they both began to tussle playfully on the rug together.

 

“So, would it be alright if Bahadur and his children came to have a look at them tomorrow?” Loki asked, mentally thinking that he ought to have checked before inviting them to the palace.

 

Thankfully, Tyr replied “Of course, my Lord,” as Loki had suspected he would.

 

With a smile, Loki knelt down beside Georgiana as one of the puppies came staggering over to him and put its front paws on his knees. Georgiana smiled as she continued playing with the one she was holding. “Aren’t they adorable, Loki?”

 

“Very,” Loki agreed, thinking that he probably wouldn’t be able to drag her away from the hearth now. Mind you, he was having difficulty in thinking about doing that himself; they were very cute.

 

“They’ll also make for very loyal companions, my Lady,” Urd ventured with a smile as she came drifting up to them. “If they take after their parents; and Gandalf was also an excellent hunting dog.”

 

“Still is,” Tyr added.

 

Georgiana’s puppy gave her a lick on the nose and she giggled again. “Do you know if they’re boys or girls yet?”

 

“There’s three of each,” Urd replied, leaning over to stroke Saga, who looked as if she just wanted to sleep. “It’s fairly easy to tell them apart, even though they all look alike.” She looked at Georgiana and smiled. “That’s a girl you’re holding, my Lady; I can tell by the tip of white at the end of her tail. And yours is a boy, my Lord, with the grey speckles on his back legs.”

 

“I think she’s taken a fancy to you, my Lady,” Tyr added, scratching the puppy Georgiana was playing with behind her ears.

 

“Aw!” Georgiana smiled as the puppy cuddled against her. “Well, I wish I could take you home, because you are just so adorable.”

 

Loki glanced at her, his own puppy curling up to sleep in his lap. “There’s no reason we can’t, you know.”

 

Georgiana looked up at him in surprise. “Really?”

 

“The palace is big enough, and it has enough garden space for them to run in, and we’d have time to feed them and give them exercise and play with them,” Loki replied, rubbing the top of his puppy’s head.

 

“Them?” Georgiana’s eyes widened knowingly. “Loki Odinson, have _you_ fallen too?”

 

Loki grinned at her. “Well, they _are_ very adorable. I mean, if that’s alright,” he added, glancing at Tyr, feeling very much like a child again asking his parents if he and Thor could go out and play or stay up a little later than usual.

 

Tyr smiled. “Of course it is, my Lord. They’re free to good homes, after all.”

 

“What do you think?” Georgiana asked her puppy. “Do you want to come home with us?”

 

The puppy made a small joyful yip as if she understood and then licked Georgiana again.

 

“I think mine’s already made his mind up,” Loki grinned, indicating that his puppy was stretching and yawning on his lap and everyone laughed.

 

Georgiana felt like she wanted to skip as they made their way back to the palace, but given that she was holding her new puppy in her arms, that probably wasn’t a good idea. Tyr came with them, bringing food bowls, collars, leads, some spare food and a few of their toys with him, and Loki helped him to set up an area in their bedroom where their puppies could sleep, conjuring up two large baskets and padding them out with blankets and their toys to make them comfortable whilst Georgiana played with both their puppies on the floor. Tyr left after reassuring them that their puppies were house (or, in this case, palace) trained and would come to them if they needed to be let into the garden, and his last words before leaving were “I know they’re certainly going to have a good home now.”

 

“What shall we call them?” Georgiana asked as the puppies played tug-of-war together with one of their toys.

 

Loki couldn’t help smiling at her enthusiasm. She was like a new mother, almost. This, he supposed, would probably be good practise for when they had children of their own; after all, pets were often worried over and taken care of just as if they were children. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Do you want to name the girl and I’ll name the boy?”

 

Georgiana smiled back at him and stroked her puppy, playing with the tip of her tail where the white stood out brilliant against the black and grey. “She looks like her tail’s been caught in the snow,” she giggled, and then a thought came to her. “I think I’ll call her Winter.”

 

Loki thought about it and smiled. “Winter. I like it.”

 

“Yours looks like there’s definitely wolf in him,” Georgiana observed, laughing as the boy puppy abruptly had the toy wrestled from him by his sister and looked quite confused as to how that could have happened. His sister abruptly pounced on him and they began to playfight.

 

Loki laughed as they both growled affectionately at one another. “Then that’s what I’ll call him. Wolf.”

 

“Winter and Wolf,” Georgiana tried. “That sounds good.”

 

Eventually the two puppies wore themselves out and snuggled down to sleep in the same basket. Georgiana laughed. “They’ll probably fight over that when they get bigger.” She turned to Loki, her expression serious but soft. “I still think that was very sweet of you today. Those children are going to be very happy, because of you.”

 

Loki shrugged, modestly. “It was just when Bahaldur said they wanted to get a dog I remembered what Tyr said. Thought why not kill two birds with one stone; find some puppies a good home and help a man keep a promise to his children.” Georgiana was quiet for a minute. “What?” Loki prompted her, gently, seeing she was deep in thought.

 

“Just...” Georgiana made a meaningless gesture with her hands to try and express how she was feeling. “Wondering why it hasn’t happened for us yet.”

 

Loki took her hand and looked into her eyes. “It will.”

 

Georgiana sighed. “But...I hear about so many couples who it happens for so quickly.”

 

“Well, everyone’s different,” Loki reminded her. “Just because it hasn’t happened for us yet doesn’t mean it’s never going to.”

 

Georgiana smiled, briefly. “Would you be terrified when it did?”

 

“Absolutely,” Loki replied. “But I think every parent usually is. And I’d be excited too.” He brought his free hand up to lift her chin. “You’re going to make a wonderful mother,” he murmured.

 

“You think so?” Georgiana asked.

 

“I _know_ so,” Loki replied, confidently.

 

Georgiana smiled up at him. “I love you, Loki,” she whispered before closing the distance between their lips.

 

“I love _you,_ Georgiana,” Loki murmured back.

 

The next morning, Georgiana found herself woken by a small whine and something clawing at the sheets on her side. Blinking sleepily, she leaned over the side of the bed and smiled at Winter, who was standing up on her back legs and looking up enquiringly, as if asking if she could come up there. “Hello,” Georgiana whispered, picking her up. “Do you want to come up here? There you go.” Then, as she set Winter down, she realised that Wolf was right behind his sister and with a giggle she picked him up too. Wolf immediately sought out his Master and began to sniff him, causing Loki to wake up too.

 

“Hello,” he murmured, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. “We’ve got four in a bed now, have we?”

 

Georgiana giggled as Wolf crawled onto Loki’s chest and yawned, prompting Loki to ruffle his fur in a playful manner. Watching him for a while as she played with Winter, a thought suddenly dawned on her. “I forgot to say last night,” she said, causing Loki to look up at her, “for what it’s worth, you’re going to be a wonderful father.”

 

Loki smiled. “You think so?”

 

Georgiana nodded. “I _know_ so.”


	17. Surprises Aplenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's someone's birthday in Asgard...

_“So, am I correct when I say that we have two new additions to the family now?” was the first thing Odin said as he came into the dining hall._

_Loki, Georgiana, Thor and Isolde looked up at him in surprise. Frigga, however, only smiled, knowingly. Then, Georgiana and Isolde glanced questioningly at one another. “Are you-?” Isolde began and Georgiana shook her head._

_“I’m sure they’ll be very good practise until you_ are, _though,” Frigga smiled._

_Loki flushed, realising that in all the excitement he had forgotten to tell his parents about their new pets. “Ah.”_

_Odin laughed. “Loki, it’s alright. I wasn’t expecting you to ask permission or anything. I heard it from Tyr that two of his dog’s pups had found a new home already.”_

_Georgiana gave a laugh of relief. Thor glanced at Loki. “Really?”_

_“Yes, they sort of adopted us and we couldn’t say no,” Loki admitted._

_Thor grinned, broadly at him. “Aw,” Isolde cooed. “That’s so sweet.”_

_“Funny, I’m pretty sure that “sweet” wasn’t in my nature until I met you,” Loki told Georgiana._

_“Oh, dear, has this tarnished your reputation as the wicked Prince?” Georgiana teased, prompting everyone else to laugh. Loki simply smiled his response, brought up their joined hands and brushed the back of hers with a kiss._

_After breakfast, Bahadur and his children were granted access to the palace, where they were met by Loki and Georgiana, who led them to Tyr’s building. Tyr greeted them all with a smile and showed them into the kitchen, and Petr and Alva were immediately enraptured by the four remaining puppies. Taking Alva by the hand, Georgiana led them both to the hearth and they began to play with the energetic little things. Saga watched them, lazily, and Georgiana patted her head with a smile, thinking that one day Winter and Wolf would be doing this, sitting near the fireplace as she and Loki read or talked, or would they even have children of their own by then who would play with the dogs? She liked to hope so._

_“Which ones do you like best?” she asked Petr with a smile as he played with two of them._

_“They’re all so cute,” he replied, tickling their bellies. “But I think I like this one with the one white paw best of all,” he added, indicating the puppy on his right._

_Alva simply giggled as the one she was holding kept licking and nuzzling her nose. “She tickles!”_

_Bahadur watched them, proudly, for a while, and then turned to Tyr with a grateful smile. “Thank you for this. I promise we’ll take good care of the two we take home.”_

_“I know that,” Tyr replied, kindly. “But it is really Prince Loki you should thank; this was, after all, his idea.”_

_“There’s no need to thank me,” Loki cut in, modestly, and Georgiana turned to him, watching his expression as he said that. “I’m happy to help.” She couldn’t help beaming at him, and promised herself that he would definitely be rewarded for his kindness tonight._

“Georgiana?”

 

She felt something soft press to her cheek, a kiss, and opened her eyes, roused out of her dream of the events of four months ago. Winter and Wolf were now a little bigger, though not much, than before, but both still very energetic and lately they had actually taken to sleeping on the bed. Loki had tried to insist that they stay in their baskets, but in the end he had just given up, sensing that this was an argument he was never going to win. They didn’t do it every night, but on the nights they did it was quite companionable to wake up and fine two fluffy, furry bodies snuggled up against them, or draped across their legs.

 

The winter had passed by now and they were well into spring. Georgiana was glad of it, now she could risk going outside wrapped in a shawl instead of a cloak and not have to worry about slipping on icy cobblestones or being caught in a snowstorm on the way home. It brought with it warmer days and beautiful flowers, filling the palace gardens with an array of floral aromas, some familiar and others new. Frigga took a great deal of pride in the gardens, often tending to them in place of the servants, and she had explained to Georgiana that some of the most beautiful plants were rare breeds from other realms that she was hoping to cultivate and make more abundant in Asgard. It would be nice, Georgiana decided, to have rare flowers growing in among the local ones.

 

Now she blinked in the golden sunlight at her husband and smiled, radiantly, as she pushed herself into a sitting position, stretching. “Morning, my Prince,” she murmured.

 

“Happy Birthday,” Loki replied, softly, and Georgiana turned her head to where he was indicating. She let out a soft gasp at the sight of an array of her favourite foots laid out across a silver table on his side of the bed.

 

“Oh, Loki!” she breathed, scrambling forwards. There were different kind of pastries, many that she had used to enjoy so much in Althrop for breakfast, fresh tiny tomatoes, freshly mixed juices from her favourite fruits, sweet vanilla yoghurt, apricots in honey, and, to her complete amazement, ripe strawberries sitting beside a bowl of melted chocolate. She turned to him, feeling her heart swell with love. “Did you do this just for me?”

 

“You’re my wife,” Loki replied, wrapping an arm about her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. “You deserve the best of everything.”

 

To keep herself from crying in happiness, she didn’t want to give him the wrong idea, Georgiana reached for one of the honeyed apricots and closed her eyes as the soft, sweet taste washed over her taste buds. It was like eating the food of the Gods, it had to be. She smiled up at him. “I can’t remember the last time we had those at home.” Then, she noticed something else on the table, a small black box, square in shape, but without ribbons or tags, instead with three small golden roses stuck on in one corner. “Is that for me?” she whispered.

 

Loki smiled and handed it to her. “Yes, it is.”

 

Georgiana blushed as she opened it, and then let out another soft gasp. It had to be the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life; an emerald cut into a soft rhombus shape, set in gold and hanging from a black ribbon, which fastened with a golden clasp. The ribbon was decorated with some strange, intricate pattern in green and gold thread and felt like silk between her fingers as she drew it from the box and held it in her hands, watching the way the emerald caught the light. “Oh, Loki, it’s beautiful!”

 

With one hand, she quickly caught up her hair at the back and Loki fastened the ribbon around her neck. The emerald hung just below her collarbone and for the first time since their marriage, Georgiana actually _felt_ like a princess. “This isn’t a pattern,” Loki told her, running one finger along the strange symbols woven into the ribbon. “It’s ancient writing.”

 

“What does it say?” Georgiana asked, feeling the weight of the emerald between her fingers.

 

Loki smiled. “It says “I love you.” Over and over again. I had it made specially.”

 

Georgiana looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you so much. I absolutely love it.” She slipped her arms around his neck and reached up to kiss him. “In fact,” she murmured against him, “I think I may never take it off.”

 

“It does suit you,” Loki agreed, kissing her again.

 

There was a knock on the door, causing Winter and Wolf to both wake at once and yip in excitement. Wolf, ever the bolder of the two, immediately scampered to the door and began to paw at the crack between it and the floor, sniffing for whoever was outside. “Alright, you,” Loki smiled, fondly, scooping him up and placing him on the bed before pulling the door open. Georgiana smiled and ruffled his fur as Wolf settled against her, panting eagerly.

 

“Good morning,” smiled Frigga, gliding into the room with a large box in her arms. Odin stepped in behind her and smiled to Georgiana “Happy Birthday.”

 

“Thank you,” Georgiana smiled.

 

“Hello,” Frigga added as Winter came up to sniff her feet. Then, she turned to Georgiana and handed her the box. “This is for you. I just hope it’s the right size, although if it isn’t we can get it adjusted, no bother.”

 

Georgiana opened the box and bit back another gasp, since she seemed to have done that a lot this morning already, as she pulled out the pale gold dress and got to her feet, holding it against her. It was sleeveless and the skirt opened at the front, giving the effect that the underskirt was green, and had lacing at the back for decoration, all in all simple but beautiful. “Oh, it’s gorgeous,” she breathed, examining it. “Thank you both so much.”

 

Odin held up his hands. “It was all her. I never get a say in such things.”

 

Everyone laughed as Georgiana hugged Frigga. “I’ll wear it today,” she decided. “And _you_ had better not come near me with muddy paws whilst I’m wearing it,” she added to Winter, pretending to be stern as she picked her up for a cuddle.

 

Odin and Frigga left them to it, which Loki was grateful for; after all this special birthday breakfast was for Georgiana, not for them. She enjoyed it immensely, particularly the strawberries and chocolate, and if they made a bit of a mess with them when the chocolate got into, ahem, certain places, well, that was easily taken care of. After bathing, Georgiana did opt to wear her new dress; the weather was so glorious outside that it felt more like summer than spring, and the second she opened the door to their room, found herself immediately met by Isolde who threw her arms around her neck with a cry of “Harry Birthday! You thought I’d forgotten, didn’t you?”

 

Georgiana laughed. “To be perfectly honest, I’d almost forgotten myself.”

 

“Ah, and there I was doing such a good job of hiding it, and for what?” Isolde joked, holding out the box she was carrying and turning to Thor. “All for nothing, it seems.”

 

Thor laughed and pulled Georgiana into a one-armed hug. “Happy Birthday, Georgiana.”

 

“Thank you, Thor,” Georgiana smiled, before taking the box from Isolde. “Now, is this from both of you, or did one of you actually forget?”

 

Thor grinned. “No, it’s from both of us.”

 

“Now, please tell me you haven’t already got it,” Isolde said as Georgiana opened the box. She smiled as she drew out the carefully wrapped book and then laughed in delight.

 

“No, I haven’t! Thank you both so much!” she exclaimed, pulling Isolde into another hug.

 

Loki looked it over with interest. “Tales of Crimson Rise.”

 

“We had to read it in school,” Isolde explained. “I hated it, but Georgiana loved it so much she used to quote passages of it all the time.”

 

“I’d almost forgotten about that,” Georgiana laughed. “It’s quite rare in Althrop, so the only version I had was from the school library. I was so sad when I had to return it. Thank you.”

 

More surprises were around the corner, it seemed, as the Royal Family weren’t the only ones who came bearing gifts. Sif and the Warriors Three turned up right before lunch with Hogun carrying something in a carefully wrapped bundle which he laid on the table before her as Sif hugged Georgiana and explained “Now, we all chipped in for this, so it’s really from all of us.”

 

“Yes, we could have got you something each,” Fandral explained, “but Volstagg spent his last coin on food.”

 

“A man’s got to eat!” Volstagg protested.

 

Georgiana laughed and unwrapped the parcel. This time she couldn’t help letting out a gasp as she took it in. “Oh!”

 

It was a recurve bow made of cherry-coloured wood, smoothly finished and polished, the same size and weight for her, and a leather quiver filled with several arrows. There was also a pair of small leather gloves, perfect for doing archery with. When the weather had become warmer, Hogun had taken up teaching her to shoot after she had expressed an interest and was surprised to learn that she was a natural at the noble art of archery. His praise had served to make Loki feel even more proud to have Georgiana for his wife.

 

“Oh, this is wonderful!” Georgiana gasped, picking up the bow. It felt just the right weight for her to use and she could picture herself doing so easily. Placing it back down, she hugged them all in turn. “Thank you all so much.”

 

“I want to see you practising with it,” Hogun told her, with a small smile.

 

“Oh, I will, believe me,” Georgiana replied.

 

Not long after this, a great bunch of flowers was brought in by one of the guards, who claimed it had been delivered to the palace by the local flower seller and that they had been instructed to bring it to the Princess Georgiana. The mystery of who had sent them was quickly cleared when she found the small card tucked into them and read the short message written on it in black ink.

 

“To the Princess Georgiana on her birthday from Petr and Alva xxx. P.S, our puppies say “Hello” too.”

 

Georgiana laughed and showed it to Loki. “Isn’t that nice of them?”

 

“Very,” Loki agreed, and Georgiana quickly had a servant take the flowers to their room.

 

The final surprise, however, was in the form of her Mother, as she arrived that afternoon just before dinner. To say that Georgiana was surprised to see her was an understatement, after all the last time she had actually seen her had been at her Father’s funeral, although they had kept in touch frequently, but she was pleased as well as she ran to hug her. “Mama!”

 

“Well, you didn’t honestly think I’d miss your birthday, did you?” Margaret laughed. She looked to have aged a little since Georgiana had last seen her, but she put that down to having been in mourning for her Father. It felt strange now, she realised, to see her Mother alone without her Father standing right beside her, even though she had accepted that this was how it would be from now on.

 

“You’re just in time,” Frigga told her after she had hugged her in turn and summoned a servant to lay an extra place at the table. “You can join us for dinner.”

 

“That sounds wonderful,” Margaret smiled, taking a place beside her daughter’s chair and then handing her the wrapped parcel. “Here, darling; I think it’s time that this was passed onto you.”

 

With a frown, Georgiana picked up the parcel and turned it over in her hands, unable to guess from its shape or weight what it might be. “What is it?” she asked.

 

“Open it and see,” her Mother laughed.

 

Georgiana did so and stared at the familiar carved ivory horn that fell from the wrappings, an instrument she knew so well from the intricate designs carved into the white, depicting scenes from old Althrop legends of great hunters and warriors. “Papa’s hunting horn,” she whispered, picking it up tenderly as if it might sound on its own if she wasn’t careful.

 

“He would have wanted you to have it,” her Mother replied. “It was one of his most treasured possessions, after all.”

 

Loki leaned forward in his seat and Georgiana answered his unspoken question by placing the horn in his hand. He turned it over, examining the quality of the craftsmanship. “It’s a wonderful piece,” he stated.

 

“Naturally,” Margaret smiled, “which is why he valued it so much.”

 

Loki smiled, good-naturedly, and handed it back to Georgiana. “Now I know where you get your wit from.”

 

Georgiana smiled and clasped the horn in her hands, turning to her Mother. “I promise I’ll take good care of it.”

 

“I know you will,” her Mother returned with a smile.

 

Georgiana could remember her Father telling her stories of his youth concerning the horn, often about it saving his life in the face of danger, or helping him and his party catch a particularly tricky animal. “Quite often I’d find that even in the farthest reaches of the forest, I could blow it and someone would come, as if by magic,” he had told her once. “That’s why I carry it everywhere with me.”

 

Georgiana silently resolved to carry on the tradition of doing so, in his honour.

 

Loki found himself caught for a quiet word by Margaret just before she took her leave. She was subtle about it, which he was grateful for, and brief when it came down to saying what she really wanted to say. “You should know that from the second you and Georgiana met as children, I have trusted you to take care of her and make her feel loved,” she smiled to him. “And now I know that my husband definitely made the right choice in betrothing her to you, because you do just that.”

 

Loki smiled. “I promise myself that I always would.”

 

“Then I know that whenever I leave Asgard, I am leaving her in the best of hands,” Margaret replied, squeezing his arm. “And thank you for being there for her when her Father...when John...”

 

Loki quickly interjected before she could get upset. “I’ve loved Georgiana from the second I met her, and the one thing I can’t bear is to see her upset.”

 

Margaret nodded. “You’re a good man, Loki.”

 

“Seems like a lot of people have been saying that lately,” Loki observed, and Margaret laughed and took her leave of them. As Georgiana watched the carriage that had brought her slip out of sight, she felt a small twinge of sadness as she always did and quickly pressed closer to Loki, burying her face in his chest and clinging to him. Loki hugged her back, silently stroking her hair, knowing that it was what she needed, that moment of closeness to remind her that she wasn’t alone after all. Eventually, Georgiana pulled away from him with a tired smile, took his hand and led him back to their room. Wonderful as the day had been, it had also been rather exhausting and now she wanted nothing more than to tumble into bed with her husband, which is precisely what she did.

 

“You know, I think this has probably been the best birthday of my entire life,” she murmured, cuddling close to him.

 

“Best of your life so far,” Loki corrected her, slipping an arm around her shoulders.

 

“Yes,” Georgiana agreed, sleepily. “I just wish Papa could have been here, that’s all.” Loki didn’t reply, just kissed her forehead and she smiled. “But I’m sure he’s looking down on us from Valhalla and smiling.”

 

Loki nodded. “Probably pointing you out to all those others up there and saying proudly “That’s my daughter, Princess of Asgard.”

 

Georgiana giggled and snuggled against him. “Thank you, my Prince. You always know exactly how to make me feel better.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Loki murmured, kissing her forehead again. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too, Loki,” Georgiana murmured back, before sleep finally overtook her and her dreams were filled with black, green and gold.

 


	18. As The World Falls Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as everything seems to be going right, it all goes horribly wrong...

Georgiana giggled as Winter and Wolf tumbled over and over in the grass before her. They had been playing tug-of-war with a stick they had found, but now they were engaged in a playful tussle, involving half-hearted biting and attempting to pin the other down on the ground. She had to admit, she had been more than a little surprised when Loki had suggested that they adopt them. Cuddly as he was with her, she had never imagined him to be the type to have pets, or be much of a lover of animals anyway, come to that. Of course, he had Sleipnir, but horses weren’t really pets, more necessities, especially for royalty, but he did seem genuinely fond of their two puppies.

 

“Come on, then!” she called, patting her knees. “Come on, Winter!” The puppies looked at her, Winter turning her head on one side as if trying to work out what her Mistress was doing. “Come on, Wolf!” Wolf merely turned his head and yawned, lazily. Georgiana was trying to teach them their names but so far they hadn’t really worked that out yet. “Come on,” she called again, encouragingly, beckoning, and they both came running up to her, jumped into her lap and smothered her nose with affectionate kisses.

 

Beside her on the wall, Loki laughed. “Give them time, they’ll learn their names.”

 

“I know,” Georgiana smiled, fondly, cuddling both puppies. “I think I just have to keep saying them and they’ll work it out.”

 

Loki leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Georgiana smiled up at him, not noticing that Wolf had leapt from her lap and was now attempting to dig at the base of Frigga’s favourite rose bush. Thankfully, Loki noticed in time and quickly scooped him up with an exclamation of “No! My Mother won’t thank you for doing that!” But his attempts at being stern were quashed when Wolf gave him a big eyed look and licked him. Loki shook his head, fondly, and sat back down on the wall, ruffling the puppy’s fur. “Like having children,” he commented. “You can’t take your eyes off them for a second.”

 

Georgiana laughed and then looked up at him, seriously. “Do you ever think about that? What it would be like for us, having them?”

 

Loki nodded. “Sometimes.”

 

“How many would we have?”

 

“How many do you want?”

 

Georgiana laughed. “Well, that depends on how many my body could cope with. After all, you have it easy. You’re just the one who gets me with child; it’s me who’ll have to go through all the pain of having one...or however many we might have. Men don’t really tend to think about such things when they lie with women.”

 

Loki smiled. “It must be worth all the pain, though, if it’s something people want to happen.”

 

Georgiana nodded, thoughtfully. “Would...would you have a preference? I mean, I know that quite often princes and earls and dukes just want male heirs to take over their duties when they’re gone...but...”

 

Loki cut her off before she could finish. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I’d mind, Georgiana, whether they were boys, girls, or several of each.”

 

“Like with these two?” Georgiana teased, tickling Winter.

 

Loki laughed. “Yes, I can only imagine what Saga must have gone through having six at once.”

 

“Loki!” They both glanced up to see Thor striding towards them. He was dressed in his formal court attire, much to their surprise. “There you are,” he said, stopping beside them. “Father wants us in the courtroom.”

 

“What for?” Loki asked, in surprise.

 

“I don’t know, some political meeting he’s having that he wants us there for,” Thor shrugged, looking apologetically at Georgiana.

 

“Do I have to attend?” Loki sighed, placing Wolf on the ground. Wolf immediately sniffed Thor and then put his front paws up on his leg. Thor absently patted his head. “Georgiana and I had plans.”

 

“I did try getting us out of it,” Thor replied. “But you know what he’s like when he’s got his mind set on something.”

 

“Don’t I just?” Loki agreed, getting to his feet. He turned to Georgiana with a sad smile. “Sorry, dove; I know we were planning to go to town together.”

 

“That’s alright,” Georgiana smiled, getting to her feet. “I might wander down there myself anyway later; perhaps I’ll even stop by Eulalie’s,” she added in a saucy undertone, causing Loki to grin at her and pull her into his arms for a hug.

 

 _“You_ are wonderful,” he murmured, kissing her cheek, loving her even more for her understanding and compassion in that moment.

 

“Rest assured, Georgiana,” Thor grinned. “When I eventually take the throne, I won’t force your husband into giving up his free time with you for anything. Unless it’s an absolute emergency,” he added, thoughtfully.

 

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Loki joked, prompting a laugh from Georgiana as she reached up to kiss him.

 

“Go on, I’ll see you later,” she smiled, scooping up both puppies in her arms before they could get into anymore mischief. They were both yawning, anyway, obviously tired out from all the playing they’d been doing that morning. A nap would do them some good.

 

“I love you,” Loki murmured, kissing her one last time.

 

“I love you too,” Georgiana whispered back, before Loki finally allowed Thor to drag him away from her.

 

“I’m going to wake up one day and find you two literally joined at the hip,” Thor joked.

 

Loki rolled his eyes. “Just because you’re not bedding _your_ wife yet-”

 

He was cut off as Thor cuffed him rather hard around the back of the head, although he was grinning as he did so. “For your information, Loki, we’re building up to it, not that it’s any of your business.”

 

“Really?” Loki’s interest was genuine. “How close are you getting?”

 

“Shut up, Loki,” Thor said.

 

“No, I’m serious,” Loki insisted, hurrying after him. He caught Thor’s arm. “Come on, you can tell me. Have you kissed yet? I mean...properly?”

 

Thor flushed. “We’ve kissed...and a little bit more besides.”

 

“Go on,” Loki prompted.

 

Thor glanced at him, and then deciding that his brother probably wasn’t about to start teasing him for being the older brother and having not gone all the way yet, took a deep breath. “There’s been...touching...sometimes intimately.”

 

Loki smiled and then, to Thor’s surprise, hugged him. “I’m proud of you,” he told him.

 

Thor laughed and pushed him away. “Hate you sometimes, you know that?”

 

“Well, you tell me often enough,” Loki laughed as they made their way to Odin’s chambers.

 

Georgiana, meanwhile, made her way to their room, with two sleepy puppies and they instantly fell asleep in the same basket. Georgiana couldn’t help smiling fondly, tucking the blanket over them and making sure their toys were near in case they woke up. It was rather like being a mother already. She laid a hand on her flat stomach, praying that one day she would be full with Loki’s child – or children, after all, people in her family had a reputation for bearing twins or sometimes triplets. Of course, there was no rush, as Loki said, and it probably would happen for them at some point, but the idea of it happening just thrilled her and was something a small part of her couldn’t wait for.

 

Getting to her feet, she picked up her shawl, tucked her father’s hunting horn into a small pouch on her belt and left the room quietly, deciding that she would go into town, just for a walk; it was such a nice day and really there was no reason she should be escorted everywhere like a child. She was a grown woman after all. So telling herself, she left the palace and wandered through the dusty cobbled streets, through the winding crowds of shoppers and sellers, listening to the general hustle and bustle and enjoying it. Her feet took her to a small bookshop she had discovered with Isolde some weeks ago, a tiny shop located at the end of a dark, twisted alleyway, under the name Pageturners, run by a thin man named Askr Balson who wore wide glasses that magnified his eyes. It was a place that didn’t make much money but kept going regardless and Georgiana had resolved to show it to Loki the next chance they got to go to town together.

 

“Good afternoon,” she smiled at Askr, who was hunched over an accounts book, looking rather flustered.

 

He jumped as she came in and then stammered “Oh, hello.”

 

The shop was small, dusty and pokey, but there was a pleasing atmosphere about it, perhaps because it was the kind of shop where you could find anything at all, really. Georgiana ran her fingers along tired old books, falling apart in places, and found herself hoping that someone would buy them and give them the TLC they needed. It was sad when people didn’t look after books, just thrust them back on the shelves without noticing that they were bending their pages or tearing their spines. She thought with a small smile that she had never seen Loki do that, he was always extremely careful about putting books back on their shelves in the library.

 

He fingers traced the cover of one which looked fairly new and she pulled it out, a thrill of excitement running through her. It was a Midgardian text, a play by some famous author of that realm whom she hadn’t heard of until Loki had told her about. She knew that he was something of a fan of his works, having shown her several that the palace library had to offer, and as she opened the book she saw with a start that it was a first edition.

 

“Loki would love this,” she whispered to herself, in excitement, and she tucked the book under her arm and made her way to the counter. Askr wasn’t anywhere in sight, but when she called “Excuse me?” he suddenly popped out his head from behind a bookshelf and straightened his glasses, nervously.

 

“Oh, are you leaving already?” he asked, in a quavery tone. Georgiana wondered if he was always nervous or whether he had something on his mind. Perhaps he owed a debt to someone. Still, her buying this book should help him towards that somewhat.

 

“Yes, thank you,” she smiled, laying the book on the counter. “I would like to buy this first, though.”

 

“Oh, right, yes,” Askr stuttered, turning the book over in his hands. “It’s new in, this.” Georgiana smiled as he wrapped it in paper for her and handed over the money. His hands shook as he took it, she noticed.

 

“Are you alright?” she asked, kindly.

 

“Oh, yes, perfectly, Miss,” he stammered, looking nervous, and then added, in a conversational tone, “You like this author?”

 

“My husband does,” Georgiana replied. “I just know he’s going to love it.”

 

“Oh, well,” Askr went on, tying string around the parcel and handing it to her. “You know, there are some very rare works at the back of the shop, low down on the corner shelf, which may be of interest to him, if he likes this particular author, that is.”

 

“Really?” Georgiana was surprised, since she hadn’t noticed them, but she took her parcel and wandered to the back of the shop anyway, not knowing that behind her Askr was quietly closing the shutters and locking the shop door. She crouched low, fingering the titles, although none seemed like the kind of thing she expected Loki to want to read and she was just about to straighten up when something struck her hard on the back of the head and with a startled cry, she slumped to the ground, the parcel falling from her hands as she hit the floor hard.

 

Askr wrung his hands as he looked over her. “Did you have to hit her so hard?” he asked, guiltily.

 

The man holding the truncheon snorted and tossed a purse of coins at Askr, who dived for it as if his life depended upon it. “She’s a good one,” he said in his clipped tones, ignoring Askr’s question. “She will do.”

 

“But...but she is attached...” Askr stammered. “Surely...surely her husband will come after her? And then...”

 

“Listen, Balson,” replied the man, smoothly, fingering the knife at his belt. Askr glanced at it and swallowed hard. The man smirked and caressed the knife. “You and I both know that when the Duke wants something, the Duke gets it. If her husband comes, his men will be ready. Bloodshed or no, the Duke always gets what he wants in the end.”

 

So saying, he lifted Georgiana bodily and kicked the door marked Private, which was marked Private for a very good reason, since it led out into a secret yard behind the shop, where his closed black carriage was already waiting. “You know what to do if she wakes,” he said to his man inside, who nodded and helped lift the unconscious Princess into the carriage. With one whipcrack, they were away, leaving no trace of that they had done save for the man who was secretly helping them.

 

Askr ran a nervous hand through his hair as he placed the leather purse on the table. He was beginning to wish he had never signed up for this, helping to lure beautiful young girls off the streets and delivering to the Duke’s man for his Master’s harem. He had done it for the usual reason, he was in dire need of the money, but now the guilt of what he had done was beginning to tug painfully at his conscience.

 

“No more,” he muttered. “This has to be the last time.”

 

Back at the palace, Isolde was making her way to the library to return her book. She hadn’t really been concentrating on it, though, not really, her mind had been on other things. She hadn’t worn those new undergarments she and Georgiana had bought in Eulalie’s yet, because she was considering saving them for the night she wanted Thor to make love to her. Each night that passed, however, seemed to bring that one closer.

 

She had been surprised, at first, at how understanding Thor had been, how patient, not wanting to push her into anything, and every time they did do something that could be considered intimate, he would ask her permission before going any further. The more she got, however, the more she liked it; she liked the feel of his hands on her, how softly he touched her, the thrills that his touch sent through her, and the more she thought about it, the more she realised that she was beginning to want him to make love to her. She was, perhaps, ready.

 

She pushed open the doors and was surprised for once in her life to find it empty. She knew that her husband and Loki were still in a meeting with Odin, but she had expected Georgiana to be here. With a shrug, she pushed her book back onto the shelf and went to find her. By the time she had walked the whole length of the palace, however, and not found her, she was beginning to worry.

 

 _Perhaps I just missed her somewhere,_ she thought, turning the corner just as the door to Odin’s chambers opened and she heard Loki mutter “I swear, if you ever make me sit through something like that when you’re on the throne, Brother, I will _have_ to kill you,” and Thor laugh in response. She turned and Thor noticed her. “Looking for me?” he smiled.

 

Isolde returned it and then confessed “Looking for Georgiana, actually. I don’t want to alarm anyone but I can’t find her anywhere.”

 

Loki tried to quash down his panic as he replied “She’s probably just not back from town yet.”

 

“Oh.” Isolde looked relieved. “That’s probably it. I didn’t know she’d gone.”

 

“Tell you what,” said Thor, putting an arm around her waist. “Why don’t we all go and meet her? Everything will be closing now, so she ought to be making her way back already.”

 

Loki nodded and together they made their way out of the palace and into town. When they had gone about two streets and there was no sign of her, however, Loki felt the panic within him rising and he couldn’t stop it. What if something had happened to her? What if she was seriously hurt somewhere? He quickened his pace and Thor seemed somehow to know what he was thinking, for he caught his arm and said “Loki, I’m sure wherever she is, she’s fine.”

 

“I don’t know.” Isolde bit her lip. “This isn’t like her. Georgiana’s not really one for wandering of and getting lost, and we ought to have run into her by now.”

 

“For all we know she’s just got talking to someone or something,” Thor insisted. “We’re probably worrying over nothing.”

 

Isolde, however, decided to take matters into her own hands as usual and caught hold of a passing fruit seller as he passed with his cart. “Excuse me, but you haven’t seen a young woman, bit younger than me, a little bit shorter too, with blonde hair-”

 

“Golden,” Loki cut in.

 

“Right, golden hair, pass by here at all in the last few hours, have you?” Isolde finished. Standing as upright as she was with her hands on her hips, she looked quite fierce, although that wasn’t quite the effect she was going for.

 

The man scratched his head. “Pretty little thing in a cream dress, with a green...” He gestured to his waist, clearly unable to find the word.

 

“Sash?” Isolde put in and when he nodded, added “Yes, that’ll be her.”

 

“Last seen her going down that way,” the man replied, pointing down the alleyway that led to Pageturners before hefting his cart along. “Haven’t seen her since, think she went into the bookshop down there, and I’ve been here all afternoon.”

 

Before either Isolde or Thor could say anything, Loki had taken off at full pelt down the alleyway, skidding to a halt outside Pageturners. The door was locked but someone was quite obviously shuffling around inside the shop.

 

“Thor, get your hammer!” Loki shouted.

 

With a smashing and splintering of wood, the shop door was history and Askr jumped, dropping the books he was holding to the floor. “What in Hel’s name-?” he spluttered as Loki crossed the threshold with Thor and Isolde in his wake. Before he had time to say much else, Loki had seized him by the collar and pinned him against the nearest bookshelf.

 

“I’m going to say this once and once only,” he hissed. “Where is my wife?”

 

“Y-your wife?” Ask stammered.

 

“A beauty with golden hair,” Thor supplied as Isolde hurried about the place, looking for any trace that Georgiana had been in there. Finding none, she felt the same pit of worry in her stomach as in Loki’s, fear for her friend.

 

“I won’t ask again,” Loki snapped. “We were told that she was last seen going in here, so either tell me where she is or lose your life; it’s your choice.”

 

“Loki!” Thor exclaimed, thinking that was a little extreme, and the man was clearly frightened by his wrath.

 

Loki shot him a look. “Thor, if he’s hurt Georgiana in any way, I swear-!”

 

“I haven’t touched her!” Askr squeaked. “It wasn’t me!”

 

Isolde turned sharply to him. “What do you mean? Where is she?”

 

“Loki, let him go,” sighed Thor.

 

“Are you mental?”

 

“He won’t be able to tell us where she is if you’re restricting the air flow to his windpipe!”

 

Reluctantly, Loki dropped Askr to the floor. Massaging his throat, Askr raised his head and gasped “I’m sorry. Truly I am. I never meant for it to go this far, but I was desperate, you seen. I needed the money, and they were prepared to offer a lot-”

 

“Who?” Thor cut in.

 

“The Duke’s men.” When Loki, Thor and Isolde exchanged a glance, Askr realised that they had no idea who he was talking about. “Duke Cavendish.”

 

Loki felt his stomach drop, because that was a name he had heard before. “Of Devonshir?”

 

“That’s the man,” Askr nodded.

 

“What is he paying you for?” Isolde demanded.

 

“Women. Young, beautiful women.” Askr hung his head, looking truly ashamed. “He... _collects_ them, you see.”

 

“Collects?” Loki repeated.

 

“For his harem. He has many of them, somewhere, locked up someplace. I don’t know where. I’ve never been. It was just my job to lure women in here and keep them here long enough for his man to subdue them and then take them. They paid me for that, and told me to keep my mouth shut, if I wanted to live. I was desperate, you see.”

 

Loki felt sick with worry and anger. “You let them kidnap my wife?!”

 

Askr flinched, his eyes filling with tears. “I’m sorry! Truly, I am! It’s not worth it anymore!” Scrabbling to his feet, he hurried to the door marked Private and shoved it open, beckoning them to it. “Look! There, in the dirt! Fresh wheel marks! You might be able to follow them to where he’s hid!”

 

Loki examined the marks and then looked off into the distance. “Looks like they lead to the border,” he muttered, and then with a snap of his fingers, Sleipnir was suddenly beside him.

 

“Loki, what are you doing?” Thor exclaimed as Loki swung himself into the saddle.

 

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going after them,” Loki replied, heatedly.

 

“By yourself?”

 

“I can’t waste time organising a search party! Georgiana could be in real danger even as we speak!” Loki fixed his brother with a look. “I swore I would never let any harm come to her, Thor! I am _not_ losing her!”

 

Thor nodded. “Well, don’t just sit there! Bring Torden so I can come with you!” He turned to Isolde. “Go back to the palace and tell Father what’s happened. Have his soldiers follow us.”

 

Isolde nodded. Much as she wanted to go with them, she knew that someone had to alert the Allfather to what had happened, so she didn’t argue. “Be careful,” she said, pulling him into a hug, and then to Loki “I know you’ll bring her home.”

 

Loki nodded, summoning Torden and as Thor swung himself into the saddle, he felt something tap his leg. Glancing down, he saw Askr holding out a wrapped parcel. “This is for you, Sir,” he stammered, apologetically. “She purchased it. Before they took her.”

 

Heart hammering, Loki took the parcel and turned it over in his hand. “Oh, Georgiana,” he murmured, before sliding it into Sleipnir’s saddle bag without opening it and urging his horse to follow the trail of the carriage wheels. With a last nod to Isolde, Thor did the same and Isolde quickly hurried back into the shop, not saying anything to Askr as she sprinted through the now permanently damaged door and began to run back to the palace, praying to the Norns that they would find Georgiana before anything could happen to her.

 


	19. "Find Me"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In times of fear, there is always hope...

Georgiana blinked. Everything was fuzzy and she was dimly aware of someone talking, although it was not a voice she recognised. Closing her eyes again, she tried to remember what had happened to her. The last thing she was certain of was bending down in the bookshop to look at some books on the lower down shelf at the back, and a sudden pain on the back of her head. From then on it was all a blank.

 

The back of her head was still throbbing, slightly, and she had no idea where she was, although it felt like the inside of a carriage, due to the bumping motion of the floor she was lying on. Suddenly she was also aware that she couldn’t move her arms. In a panic, she opened her eyes and sat up, faced with two men she had never laid eyes on before in her life.

 

Panic set in. “What’s going on?” she cried, struggling against her bonds. The ropes, however, were tied too tightly around her to do more than just a pathetic wriggle. “Who are you?”

 

“Sheridan, you know what to do,” sighed the man who had subdued her the first time.

 

Richard Sheridan drew a rag from his pocket and Georgiana’s eyes widened as she realised their intent. “No-!”

 

He screams were muffled, however, by the rag and she fell limp again against the edge of the seat. Sheridan shook his head. “I don’t like it, Gray. This one’s only young, barely into adulthood yet.”

 

Charles Gray leaned forward in his seat. “She’ll do. The younger the better with him, remember?”

 

Sheridan rolled his eyes. “Have you ever thought that some of these women might not be as available as we believe when we acquire them?”

 

“Well, their husbands haven’t come looking for any of them yet,” was all Gray had to say on the matter. Sheridan could tell by his tone that that was the end of the discussion as far as he was concerned, so he kept his mouth shut and his eyes on the girl at their feet. She was very beautiful, he had to admit, but a girl of status, judging by her clothing, possibly a Lady or the daughter of an Earl.

 

Twice more, Georgiana woke on the journey and twice more she was easily subdued. Only as the carriage finally reached its destination was she allowed to regain full consciousness.

 

Sheridan made to grab her arm and she flinched, automatically. He grasped her elbow and pulled her up level with him. “Don’t do anything to make it worse for yourself, and you won’t get hurt,” he advised her. “Not by me, any road.”

 

Georgiana bit her lip. By now she had worked out that she had been kidnapped and it had now hit her that Loki was probably still back at the palace, wondering where in the Hel she was. “What do you want with me?”

 

“Nothing,” sneered Gray, unkindly, as he grasped her other arm and pulled her roughly to her feet, dragging her from the carriage. “Our Master, on the other hand, pays quite handsomely for girls like you.”

 

Georgiana stumbled, almost falling over but Sheridan steadied her. She shot him a grateful look, even though her eyes were filling with tears. They’d all be worried for her, wouldn’t they? Odin and Frigga and Thor and Isolde and Sif and the Warriors Three and Loki, her family, all wondering why she wasn’t back yet. She glanced at the sky. It was growing dark and it was hard to see where in the whole of the Nine Realms they were in the dim light. Were they even _in_ Asgard anymore? She didn’t want to start crying but the worry of being so far away from home, so far away from Loki, was getting to her, even as she tried to put a brave face on.

 

“Get moving,” Gray sighed, giving her a small shove. Georgiana obeyed at once, feeling that if she didn’t, she would probably regret it. The great house they had stopped outside was vast, looming and dark before them and as she stumbled towards the steps, Gray pushed past her and shoved the door open. Georgiana followed him, with Sheridan right behind her.

 

The lamps were already lit inside and the overall design of the place was more Althropian by nature than Asgardian. Momentarily, she wondered just how far away from her Mother’s house they were. If she could somehow escape from this place, might she be able to get to it? Then, suddenly, Gray was standing before her with a knife and she stiffened, expecting the inevitable blow that would finish her off. Her thoughts filled with memories of being with Loki, and it comforted her. But Gray merely cut through her bonds and she felt the feeling return to her deadened limbs at once.

 

“Don’t you go getting any ideas about escaping,” Gray warned her as she rubbed her arms where the ropes had chaffed through her dress.

 

Before Georgiana could respond, a voice nearby snapped “You two are late,” and she threw a glance up the stairs where a shadowy figure was approaching them.

 

Gray immediately grabbed her by the back of the neck and thrust her down to the floor. Georgiana squeaked as her knees hit the wooden boards hard and his fingers tightened their grip, forcing her to silence.

 

“Perhaps,” Gray replied, drily, “but I think you’ll approve of our findings.”

 

“Just the one, this time?” the man drawled, stopping in front of Georgiana. She shot a look at him from beneath her lashes. He was tall, a foreboding figure before her, with limbs and torso that looked to be almost perfect beneath his clothing, which was also Althropian in style. His face was somewhat handsome, but she didn’t like it. His eyes and the slight smirk he wore were dark and she didn’t trust them one bit. “One of our own,” he commented, taking in her clothing, and sounding slightly weary about it as he did so. “Would it kill you to find me an Asgardian or a Vanir maiden for once?”

 

“She is young and beautiful, isn’t that what you asked for?” sighed Gray.

 

Georgiana glanced at the floor. She didn’t quite know what to say, although she was beginning to piece together what was going on inside her head. She had been kidnapped for _this_ man, and judging by the way he was talking, he was _not_ looking to make her a servant or hold her for ransom. Inwardly she found herself wishing that that was what he was doing; that way at least Loki could have some idea of where she was, or that she was alright. Her heart twinged with missing him.

 

“True,” the man commented. “I can’t fault you for that.”

 

To Georgiana’s surprise and anger, he lifted her chin the way Loki often did. What gave him the right to touch her like that? How dare he? She quickly jerked her head away, out of his grip and fixed him with a determined glare. The man looked surprised and leaned back slightly, a slow flinch of his own. “Tell me, shrew, do you know who I am?”

 

His arrogance was what caused her to snap. Georgiana shot him a defiant look as she faced him. “No, and I don’t care either, but clearly you don’t know who _I_ am, otherwise you would think twice before laying your hands on me in such a manner!” Thinking of Loki, of what he would do were he in her situation, gave her the strength she needed to go on. “I am Georgiana of Asgard, wife of Prince Loki and daughter of the late Earl Spencer, so I suggest that you let me go unless you wish my husband and his family to unleash their wrath upon you for kidnapping me in the first place!”

 

If Loki had seen her then, he would have been so proud, she knew, for she never faltered once in her tirade, never choked on her words or gave way to tears or looked away, just knelt there and openly defied this man with all the confidence she possessed. The man blinked at her and then snarled at his men “You idiots! You kidnapped the Princess!”

 

“Well, we didn’t know!” Sheridan protested, backing into the wall out of fear that his Master would pounce on him. “I mean, that pokey little bookshop, it was hardly the place you’d expect royalty to go!”

 

“She’s only royal by marriage,” Gray pointed out. “There’s not much chance she’ll be missed that much!”

 

Georgiana turned her head to him, with an indignant scoff. “Well, clearly you gentlemen don’t know much about my husband, because Loki go through fire and ice and indeed all of the elements and dangers of the Nine Realms all at once just to keep me from harm! He will come for me, and then you will be sorry you ever touched me!”

 

The man crouched level with her, his eyes dangerous now, although his tone was calm. “And what makes you think he’ll be able to find you, out here, in the middle of nowhere?”

 

Georgiana met his gaze. “Because he won’t give up until he has found me. Even if it takes the rest of our lives, he will keep looking until he has found me.”

 

What colour there was in the man’s face drained and he straightened up, although his tone was steady as he spoke to his men. “Strip her and throw her in with the others.”

 

“But, Duke!” Sheridan protested. “If she is discovered-!”

 

“If she is released, then we will be in even more trouble!” the Duke snapped as Gray seized Georgiana and dragged her to her feet. Georgiana struggled but her forced her arms behind her back and pinned them there, painfully. She winced and the Duke grabbed her chin, firmly this time, forcing her to look at him. “Don’t go thinking that what you marry into makes you what you are,” he hissed. “Nothing but an Althrop girl in an arranged marriage. Oh, yes,” he added, as Georgiana’s eyes widened slightly, “I think you’ll find that my family knows of yours. In fact, you were very nearly mine, until your fool of a Father decided he’d rather tie bonds with Asgard rather than Devonshir.”

 

The thought of being married to this man made Georgiana feel sick to her stomach. “Don’t you dare speak about my Father like that!”

 

What happened next sent a shock right through her core as the Duke released her and then struck her hard across the face. Georgiana gasped as the sting went through her whole body, stunning her into silence. She couldn’t believe that had just happened. No one had ever hurt her like that before in her life. True, she had slapped Loki once in temper, but not as hard as that and he in turn had never raised a finger to her in that way. Hel, he had hated himself for making her cry that night; she couldn’t imagine him ever hurting her.

 

“What are you waiting for?” the Duke snapped to Gray, and then he turned and stalked from the room.

 

“Move!” Gray hissed, giving Georgiana a hard shove. She stumbled into the wall, thinking to herself that even Ótr had been gentler with her than this. Loki’s reaction to her being almost molested suddenly flashed into her mind, his concern, his outrage, his anger that someone had tried to hurt her, and this time she couldn’t hold back the tears. They came fast, hot and wet in her eyes, but before she could wipe them, Gray had his hand on her shoulder and was pushing her into the next room, which was probably once a parlour for receiving visitors, but which was now devoid of all furniture and hand its windows shuttered, blocking out any light.

 

“I warned you,” Sheridan muttered to her as Gray kicked the door shut behind her, and the next thing Georgiana knew Gray had his knife out again and had cut through her belt. She let out a startled scream and made to run, but he seized her easily, pinned her to the wall and literally tore her dress off her, ripping it into two and tossing it to the floor. Georgiana struggled away from him, attempting to cover herself, and for once in her life grateful that she had opted for her usual white undergarments instead of her green, black and gold ones. After all, they were for Loki’s eyes only, and she didn’t want those to be ripped like her dress had just been. Glancing over Grays shoulder, she noticed Sheridan pick up the horn from her ruined belt.

 

“No!” she cried, trying to get to him, but Gray pinned her back to the wall. “Please,” Georgiana whispered, attempting to look Sheridan in the eyes as he turned the horn over in his hands. “That was my Father’s. It’s all I have left of him.”

 

“Oh?” Gray taunted. “And I’ll bet he gave you this pretty jewel too, did he?”

 

Georgiana turned away from him. “My husband gave that to me.”

 

“Well, I’m afraid the Duke likes his harem girls in nothing but their unmentionables, so...” With a shriek, Georgiana found herself flipped over and pinned with her face to the wall. She struggled, but Gray held her fast. He beckoned Sheridan with his head and she felt the ribbon removed from her neck. “No!” she whispered again, but Gray grasped her by the back of the neck, his fingers bruising her skin, and she whimpered, tears in her eyes again.

 

Sheridan turned the pendant over in his hands and shrugged. “Mere costume jewelry. Worth nothing. Same as this.” He tapped the horn with one finger.

 

“Perhaps you’ll find some use for them, then,” Gray sneered, before seizing Georgiana by the arm and dragging her over to a doorway by fireplace. He unlocked the door and as Georgiana struggled vainly in his grip, she twisted her head to look over at Sheridan. He met her look with something that looked like sympathy and then slipped both the ribbon and the horn into his own belt pouch, with a small nod. Georgiana understood; he had merely said her possessions were worthless to save them from probably being sold off or given to someone else, and she managed to mouth a “Thank you” at him before she was dragged down a dark stairway and thrust into room filled with large, wooden cages.

 

Ghostly eyes peered up at her, curious as to who this newcomer was, and she ceased to be afraid. Here were the Duke’s other victims, his harem girls, and as it was too dark to see properly, she could only imagine what hardships they had been through at his hands.

 

“You are to stay here until the Duke wants you,” Gray hissed, thrusting her into the nearest empty cage. As he locked the door, a few of the girls in the cages nearest to hers reached out to him, like beggars on the street, appealing for his pity or aid, but he flinched away from them as though their hands would contaminate him in some way.

 

The second he was gone, Georgiana sank down in the corner of her cage and buried her head in her arms. She had been so determined to remain strong in front of him, but now her emotions were coming out in one great rush. Only now did she realise how scared she was; being so far away from home and her family, in a strange place where she was going to be used for...for...she couldn’t even bring the word to mind. With Loki, it was always “making love,” because that was what it was, because he loved her, deeply, and she loved him, and it was their way of sharing their feelings physically. But now...with this man...

 

She couldn’t let it happen! Taking a determined sniff, she curled her hands into fists. If he wanted her body, then he was going to have to kill her first. She would never give herself to him willingly, or if he forced her to submit to him, then she would kill herself afterwards. The only person she ever wanted to have do anything like that to her, with her, was Loki. That was the depths of her devotion to him. She would rather die than let the Duke take from her husband what was rightfully his.

 

And yet, it might not come to that. Loki wouldn’t give up on her, she knew it. He loved her. He would find her. She just knew he would.

 

“Georgiana?”

 

Her head shot up at once as she blinked through her tears and then realised that someone in the cage beside hers had spoken. The woman moved forwards and Georgiana stared into her wide, dark eyes, seeing recognition there. But she couldn’t place who she was for a moment.

 

“Do I know you?” she stammered.

 

The pouty lips curved upwards slightly, the dark curls moving as she tilted her head. “It _is_ you, isn’t it? Georgiana Spencer?”

 

Georgiana blinked and realised where she had seen that face, heard that voice, before. “B-Bess? Bess Foster?”

 

“That’s right. Well, of all the people in the world, I never thought I’d bump into you again,” Bess said, although her tone lacked in kindness. But it was not unkind either, merely flat. There was no sneering in her voice now, although she added “Thought I recognized that poor posture,” in a slight tone of bitterness.

 

Her words might have meant to hurt, but Georgiana merely smiled. Why did they matter now? Loki told her every day that she was beautiful, that she was the most beautiful woman in the whole of the Nine Realms, that her beauty outshone all others tenfold, that every single aspect of her, her figure, her eyes, her hair, was beautiful. Why would Bess’s words hurt when Georgiana knew that they were spoken in jealousy?

 

“I barely recognized you, although I never forgot what you used to look like,” she replied, calmly. “After all, you made my school days Hel until Isolde stood up to you.”

 

“Oh, are you still harping on about that?” Bess snorted, dragging herself up to her full height, although in the cages she could only get onto her knees rather than to her feet. She was thinner now than Georgiana remembered, although her figure was still enviably curvy, and her appearance more bedraggled. That was probably down to how the Duke had been treating her, Georgiana thought.

 

“Actually,” she replied, airily, “I believe the last time I ever thought about those days was on the morning after my wedding night, and that was last summer.” She offered the surprised Bess a small smile. “Yes, I married Loki, and do you know something? He doesn’t care a whit about my posture or whether I’m too thin or that my hair’s almost untamable first thing in the morning, because he loves me, just like he always has done.” She turned her head away from her old adversary as she added “And I’d give anything to be right back by his side right now.”

 

Bess was silent a moment and then said “You did well for yourself, then?”

 

“And you?” Georgiana asked, turning back to her. “Did you marry?”

 

Bess shrugged. “I could have, if a man had chosen me.”

 

Sensing there was more to her than she was letting on, Georgiana didn’t press the matter. Instead, she asked “How long have you been here?”

 

Bess shrugged again and leaned back against the bars of her cage. “I’ve lost track of the days.”

 

“I’ve been here nearly half a year, Miss,” said a girl from across the room. In the darkness, there was no torch or candle in the room, Georgiana couldn’t tell how old she was, but she sounded to be a little older than her. “You’re lucky. I haven’t got a family to come looking for me.”

 

“Nor me,” said a voice from another cage. She sounded to be about Georgiana’s age.

 

“What does he want with us?” she sighed, even though she already knew the answer.

 

“What does any man want from a woman?” Bess sighed, her tone bitter again. “Every day, his man Gray comes down here, pulls out whichever one of us is “lucky” and we have to occupy the Duke’s bed until he’s had his fill. Then, it’s back down here for us and a wait until it’s our turn again. I can’t remember the last time I had a bath or ate a decent meal or slept in a proper bed.”

 

“Because the Duke never lets us do any sleeping in his,” snorted their companion from across the room and a few of the girls giggled, uncertainly.

 

Georgiana glanced at Bess. “But...surely...someone knows we’re all here?”

 

She shrugged. “If they do, they haven’t found us yet.” With an irritated exhalation, she closed her eyes and leaned against the bars. “We’ll have to stay here until we rot, or until the Duke decides to do away with us.”

 

“But you can’t accept this as your fate!” Georgiana exclaimed.

 

“And what else should we do?” Bess snapped.

 

“Fight back!” Georgiana cried.

 

“We’ve tried, Miss,” sighed the second girl who had spoken. “He beats us. He puts us through all manner of punishments and torments. It’s easier just to do what he says.”

 

“All men are bastards,” sighed Bess.

 

Georgiana looked at her and shook her head. “Loki isn’t. He’ll find me, and when he does, we’ll all be free.”

 

Bess gave a hollow laugh. “You really believe that?”

 

“Yes,” Georgiana insisted, determinedly, closing her eyes and praying to the Norns that Loki was already on his way to finding her. “Because I know him. He won’t rest until I’m in his arms again.”

 

Bess snorted but said nothing else. The room fell quiet and, in spite of herself, Georgiana felt her eyes closing on their own. It had, after all, been a long day, made even more trying by her kidnapping and abuse. She wondered idly if her face was red where the Duke had struck her. It hadn’t happened when she had slapped Loki, but then, she reflected, she really hadn’t hit him that hard.

 

_Oh, Loki._

 

She tried to imagine she was back with him, walking with his hand in hers, lying in the library with a book open in front of them, him brushing her hair for her, bathing beside him, being in his arms when she was upset or worried, the feel of his lips on hers, being made love to, just talking and laughing together. She imagined she could hear his voice, whispering to her, things like _“You’re perfect”_ or _“my dove”_ or _“little one”_ or _“my Georgiana”_ and most of all _“I love you.”_ And she imagined him wherever he was, worrying about her, and realised that she wanted more than anything to go to him, to just be with him. She always felt so safe when Loki was with her, because she knew that he would do whatever it took to protect her from all the harms in the world.

 

 _Loki, wherever you are,_ she prayed, before sleep took her, _know that I love you, and please, please, please find me._

 


	20. Storm Clouds Gather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki will stop at nothing to rescue Georgiana...

“Damn it!” Loki swore, tugging Sleipnir to a halt and scanning the road ahead, looking for any telltale sign that might show them where the carriage had gone. But the road had become dusty and the tracks had cut off, which wouldn’t have been such a problem if it wasn’t for the fact that the track now cut off in three different directions and there was no telling which of these roads the carriage had taken. Loki quickly swung himself off his horse, ignoring the pain as his feet jarred the ground hard, and looked around for any clues, wheel tracks or hoof prints, or even something that may or may not have fallen off the carriage, any sign, anything at all. But there was nothing. It was like running into a dead end whilst being pursued by a pack of ravenous wolves.

 

“Stop it, Sleipnir!” he snapped as Sleipnir attempted to eat a nearby shrub. He quickly seized the reins and Sleipnir snorted, crossly. Loki couldn’t blame him. He didn’t mean to take out his anger and frustration on his horse, it was just, well, in this moment he couldn’t help himself.

 

“What is it?” Thor had just come up on Torden, his own face a mixture of concern and anxiety.

 

“The tracks just end!” Loki exclaimed. He vented his feelings into kicking a nearby stone half a foot away from them, wishing that there was a brick wall nearby that he could bang his head against. His anger quickly turned into panic, however and he released Sleipnir’s reins, covering his face with his hands with a pained sigh of “Norns, Thor...”

 

He couldn’t finish. Thor quickly leapt down from Torden and placed his hands on his brother’s shoulders. “Loki, we _will_ find her.”

 

“And what if we don’t?” Loki shouted. That was what worried him most of all; to not be able to rescue her from whatever personal Hel she was now suffering, to not be able to hold her again in his arms. To fail her. Thor flinched at the force of his words and Loki instantly regretted his sharpness. He sighed, deflating, feeling small under his brother’s hold. “What if I’ve lost her forever?”

 

“You can’t think like that,” Thor replied, giving him the tiniest of shakes just to illustrate his point. He looked into Loki’s eyes, seeing pain and fear there and he knew that right now his brother needed him more than ever. “Georgiana’s strong, and she’s a fighter. She will survive, and you will find her and bring her home.”

 

Loki sighed again and then, leaning forward, butted his head against his brother’s shoulder. Thor took it as a sign and wrapped his brother in a comforting hug, reflecting that his brother must _really_ be upset because any other time he would be throwing him off and insisting that he was fine. Suddenly it was like they were children again. He could remember a time once when they had been quite a bit younger than they were now and Asgard had been visited by an Ambassador from Svartálfaheimr. The Ambassador had brought with him his two sons and they had taken great delight in taunting Loki when they had come across him in the grounds with his head buried in a book. Thor had caught them pinning his brother into the mud and had ended up hitting them both until they ran away to tell. He could remember helping Loki to his feet and brushing all the mud off him as best as he could, how Loki had snuffled, trying hard, and failing, not to cry and how he had allowed Thor to hug him and tell him not to listen to them because they were just the children of an Ambassador and that he was a Prince, so that made him ten times better than them any day. Sometimes Thor had trouble remembering that his brother had grown up because he couldn’t quite figure out how that had happened. Like all older brothers, he felt the responsibility to look out for him and to try and help him when it was needed.

 

“I can’t lose her, Thor,” Loki said into his shoulder. It came out muffled but Thor could still hear him. “I can’t fail her.”

 

“The only way you’ll fail her is if you don’t try,” Thor responded, patting his back.

 

Loki sighed and pulled away from him. “Now you sound like Father. Ow!” he added, as Thor clipped him around the back of the head.

 

“Be serious!” Thor demanded.

 

“Ow,” Loki muttered, rubbing his head. “You hit like him too.”

 

Thor folded his arms. “I thought you were worried about your wife.”

 

“I am!”

 

“Then you need to get back on your horse and find her!”

 

“How?” Loki exclaimed, spreading his arms. “Just tell me how, and I will do that! We’ve lost their trail, Thor! They could be anywhere by now, and whichever road we take, if it proves to be the wrong one, we’ll only waste time in finding her!”

 

“So, what, you’re just going to give up?” Thor snapped back.

 

“Never in a million years!” Loki fixed him with a look. “I’d die every day for the rest of my life for her, Thor, not that you’d know how it feels to-!”

 

“You think I don’t know how this feels?” Thor interrupted. “You’re not the only one who cares about Georgiana! I mean, I know you care about her most out of all of us, but she’s family, and all of us want her back safe!”

 

Loki knew he had a point and he sighed, running one hand through his hair. “This isn’t helping us,” he admitted, turning back in the direction of the road where it split into three.

 

“No, you’re right,” Thor agreed, calming down himself. He crouched low to the ground with a frown. “There’s got to be some sign of where they’ve gone.”

 

“No, there’s nothing,” Loki replied, but he scoured the ground again just in case. “Pity we didn’t think to get a description of the men out of the bookseller; that might at least have given us a clue to where they’ve gone.”

 

Thor gave a half-laugh. “Would you have given him the chance to do that before you strangled him to death?”

 

Loki shot him a look. “My wife had gone missing and he was the last person to see her; how was I supposed to react?”

 

Thor shrugged. “Fair point. I’d have done the same.”

 

“Would you?” Loki asked, drily, humouring him.

 

Thor glanced at him. “Yes.”

 

Loki met his gaze and realised that his brother was absolutely serious. “You’re certain?” Thor nodded, slowly, and Loki managed to fix his expression into a more pleasant one even if he couldn’t manage a smile at that moment. “Well, forgive me if I don’t jump up and down; any other time, I might, but I’m too busy worrying about my own wife.”

 

Thor raised his hands as if to say that he understood that and got to his feet. “Think,” he muttered to himself. “If you had kidnapped a member of the Royal Family, where would _you_ go?”

 

“As far away from Asgard as possible,” Loki answered, glancing at the road sign. “But according to this, these roads are all equally as long, so that doesn’t really help us much.”

 

“Hm,” Thor murmured in agreement.

 

Sleipnir, however, had finished with his shrub, which didn’t actually taste that nice now he thought about it, and was sniffing at the road, like a dog. Quite suddenly he let out a whinny which caused the two Princes to jump almost a foot in the air and pawed at the ground.

 

“What’s up with him?” Thor asked in surprise.

 

“Don’t know,” Loki replied, taking hold of Sleipnir’s reins. To his surprise, however, Sleipnir jerked his head so that the reins flew out of his grip and gave another noise of excitement, stamping the ground again. Loki blinked and then realised what it was. “I think he’s trying to tell me something.”

 

“Such as?” Thor asked.

 

Loki watched as Sleipnir sniffed the ground again and then started off down the road ahead of them. He quickly ran after him and caught the reins. Sleipnir indignantly tossed his head and made a noise of complaint. “Easy!” Loki commanded, tugging on the reins and then turning to look at Thor, who was watching the scene with a look of confusion on his face. “This might sound strange,” Loki said, “but I think he can smell Georgiana.”

 

“He’s a horse, not a dog,” Thor replied.

 

“Be that as it may, I think that’s what he’s trying to tell me,” Loki replied, patiently, glancing down the road. He had no idea if it was the right road or not, but all this hanging around without making a decision was getting them nowhere nearer to finding Georgiana, and one way or another they had to pick which road they were going to follow in the hope of getting anywhere. With a decisive nod, he pulled himself up into the saddle again and kicked his heels into Sleipnir’s sides. Sleipnir took off at once with a triumphant neigh and before long Thor and Torden had caught up with them.

 

“I don’t like the look of those clouds,” Thor muttered, grimly. “Seems like a storm’s brewing.”

 

“I don’t care,” Loki insisted.

 

“Might not be safe to travel,” Thor began.

 

“I don’t care!” Loki snapped. “Georgiana needs me and I am not going to rest until she’s safe again!”

 

Thor said nothing and they continued their journey in silence. However, he had been right about the storm, as they were soon met with howling winds and lashings of rain that soaked them both to the skin. Loki was determined to plough onwards but when the thunder and lightning picked up, Thor had to practically drag his brother off the road and pull the four of them under the shelter of the nearest tree.

 

“Don’t you dare say “I told you so,” Loki muttered, bitterly, as he shivered.

 

Thor shrugged as he tied their horses’ reins to a branch and then, turning to his brother, asked calmly “You alright?”

 

Loki gave a hollow laugh and leaned against the trunk, watching the storm rage on. “The love of my life has been kidnapped, I have absolutely no idea where she is and I’m worried that by the time I get to her she might not even be...” He cut himself off with a depressed sigh before he could say the taboo word and closed his eyes. “I just want her back, Thor,” he finished, softly. In his mind he conjured up an image of her, his Georgiana, with her soft, pale skin and her mischievous smile and her dreamy brown eyes and her beautiful golden hair and her petite frame, smaller than his, and her sweet, natural scent and her laughter like music.

 

Thor nodded, slowly, and then placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “We _will_ get her back, Loki. Whatever it takes.”

 

Loki managed a smile in spite of himself. “Until I met Georgiana, I didn’t know it was possible to worry about another person constantly. I mean, I’m always worrying about her, but I never imagined I could worry about her _this_ much.”

 

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Thor replied, comfortingly. “Like I said, she’s stronger than people think at first glance.”

 

Loki nodded, thoughtfully. “I had been teaching her how to defend herself lately.”

 

“Oh?” Thor raised his eyebrows, teasingly. “You never share your moves with anyone.”

 

“She’s my wife, we share everything,” Loki replied, opening his eyes. “Besides, I didn’t want anything like what almost happened with Ótr happening to her again.”

 

“Fair point,” Thor agreed, leaning beside his brother. He glanced at Loki and then commented “You know, I’ve never seen you so happy as when you’re with her.”

 

“I’m always happy with her,” Loki replied. “Even when we’re arguing.”

 

Thor looked surprised. “You two argue? I can’t imagine you ever raising your voice to her.”

 

Loki looked embarrassed. “It was just once, after the whole... _thing_ with Ótr. I was fussing over her and she was getting annoyed and then I sort of lost my temper and she slapped me and then-” Thor began to laugh. “Shut up!” Loki exclaimed.

 

“And then you made up?” Thor guessed, sobering up.

 

“Obviously,” Loki replied, drily.

 

Thor glanced at him again. “Sorry. I know it’s not a time to be laughing.”

 

Loki sighed and looked at his feet. “I miss her.”

 

Thor patted his shoulder. “Trust me, Brother, we will find her.”

 

Loki glanced at the sky. The storm looked to be settling already, and although it was rowing dark, there were an abundance of stars hiding behind the clouds. “Looks to be letting up,” he commented.

 

Thor nodded, and then seeing the look of determination on his brother’s face, realised that Loki was prepared to ride all night if that was what it took to find Georgiana. “Suppose we’d better get ready to move out, then,” he commented.

 

Loki glanced at him. “Maybe you should go back.”

 

“What?” Thor exclaimed.

 

“Go back as far as where the road splits,” Loki explained. “If Father’s sending soldiers, which he probably will, they won’t know where to go when the tracks end. You need to be there to tell them where I’ve gone.”

 

Thor sighed and shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of you doing this on your own, Loki.”

 

“I’m not a child anymore, Thor,” Loki sighed, and then he clapped a hand to his forehead. “Norns, I sound like my wife!” Thor chuckled. “Please,” Loki asked, looking at him. “We need all the help we can get.”

 

Thor took a deep breath. “Much as I hate to admit it, you’ve got a point, Loki.”

 

“Thank you,” Loki replied, unhooking Sleipnir’s reins from the branch.

 

“But what happens if we can’t find you?” Thor added.

 

“I’ll leave you a sign,” Loki replied. “Somehow.”

 

The moon came peering out from behind a cloud as the Princes rode their separate ways, and Loki was grateful for its light. He was too fuelled on the adrenaline that had come from the panic of having possibly lost Georgiana to even contemplate sleeping. Thor was right. He could _not_ give up on looking for her. He could _not_ fail her.

 

He would _not_ lose her!

 

“Hold on, my love,” he murmured, urging Sleipnir into a gallop. “Wherever you are, I’m going to find you.”

 

In her cage, Georgiana was woken by the sound of the storm and she jumped at the rumble of the thunder. “What, is Thor practicing with Mjölnir at this time of night?” she muttered, blinking in the darkness, and then remembering where she was. A shudder ran through her and she felt a pang of longing for their soft, warm bed and Loki beside her, with his arms about her, making her feel safe and loved.

 

“With what?” came Bess’s voice beside her.

 

Georgiana turned her head and could just about make out her profile in the dark of the room. “Mjölnir; Thor’s hammer.”

 

“Oh,” Bess replied, dully.

 

Georgiana frowned. “You must have heard of Thor’s hammer? Everyone in Asgard know it’s his greatest weapon.”

 

“Well, forgive me if I don’t have the pleasure of mixing in such social circles,” Bess spat, bitterly.

 

Georgiana crawled forwards in her cage, towards Bess’s. “Bess, what happened to you after we left school?”

 

“Why do you want to know?” Bess asked, fiercely.

 

Georgiana stood her ground, however. “Because I can’t understand how the prettiest girl in the school could end up in this position.”

 

“It’s not like it’s by choice; I was kidnapped, same as everyone else in here.” But Bess sighed and turned her head to Georgiana. “Look, if you must know, when I left school, I was something of a renowned society beauty for a while, invited to all sorts of balls and parties and all that. Men would always want to dance and walk with me. I was even invited to the theatre a few times; that was thrilling.”

 

Georgiana nodded. “So, what happened? Something tells me it all went wrong somewhere.”

 

Bess was quiet and Georgiana thought that she wasn’t going to answer her. With a small sigh of her own, she curled back into her corner again and then Bess said “I was talked into bed by an Earl who already had a wife, although I didn’t know that at the time. I mean, when a man tells you he’s single, then how are you meant to know unless his wife is right beside him, right? Anyway, he left me pregnant and went back to his wife. My Father was furious when he found out and shouted that me and my bastard child could starve on the streets for all he cared because I’d brought shame on our family and there was no room for harlots in that house. My Mother backed him up. There was no one to stand up for me. I went to stay in a lodging house but when I was unable to pay the rent any longer, I was thrown out of there too. Then I lost the baby, and...”

 

“I’m so sorry,” Georgiana whispered in shock.

 

Bess glanced at her and then looked away. “Judge me all you will, but I was desperate for money and when you feel you’ve already lost everything else anyway, when you’ve got nothing left to lose, you turn to other ways to pay the rent and for food.”

 

Georgiana understood. “Prostitution.”

 

“Go on, laugh at me, say I had it coming,” Bess snapped, tossing her head, bitterly.

 

“Bess, no one deserves to be thrown out of their home, or to lose their child, or be forced into such a life as that,” Georgiana replied. “I certainly wouldn’t wish any of that on my worst enemy.” Leaning forwards, she reached a hand out through the bars of their cages, reaching for Bess’s. Bess looked at it, and then into Georgiana’s sincere brown eyes. Her expression softened and she clasped her hand in return.

 

“I thought I _was_ your worst enemy,” she tried to joke, feebly.

 

“No, right now that’s the Duke,” Georgiana answered. “Or anyone from Vanaheimr who tried to kill my husband during the war.”

 

Bess was quiet a moment and then she squeezed her hand. “Georgiana, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I said to you, and about you, in school. I was jealous.”

 

“Jealous?” Georgiana repeated, in surprise. “Of me?”

 

Bess shrugged. “You were very beautiful. And your hair, everyone said your hair looked like spun gold, whereas mine...” She tugged half-heartedly on a dark curl. “The colour of mud.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “Well, I always thought you and Mary had nice hair.” They exchanged a smile in the darkness and then both jumped at the sound of the Duke knocking something over upstairs.

 

“Sounds like he’s in a temper,” Bess muttered, and then to Georgiana “Let’s hope your husband gets here soon. I don’t know how much more of his abuse I can take.”

 

Georgiana nodded and then glanced at her. “Any advice? I mean, for being with him?”

 

“Don’t give him what he wants,” Bess replied. “You’ve a husband of your own; you don’t belong to _him._ He has no right to do this to you.”

 

“He has no right to do this to _any_ of us,” Georgiana replied, firmly. “But I won’t let him do to me what Loki is allowed to.”

 

 _Please, Loki, please hurry,_ she prayed silently with each beat of the thunder and crackle of the lightning outside their prison.

 


	21. Agony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Duke will stop at nothing to get what he wants...

The door swung open with a loud thud that resounded. Georgiana opened one tired eye. She and Bess had fallen asleep huddled in the corners of their cages with their hands still clasped together, like two scared sisters on the night of a storm. The light hurt her eyes as she raised her head in time to see the door of her cage pulled open and Gray reaching in an arm to yank her out.

 

“He wants you,” was all he said, and she felt her blood run cold.

 

“He can’t have her,” Bess insisted, clinging to Georgiana’s hand a little tighter. “He can have me instead.”

 

“He wants _her,”_ snarled Gray, pulling Georgiana to her feet, her hand slipping from Bess’s.

 

“Well, then, he’ll be sorely disappointed!” Georgiana snapped, thinking quickly, and she brought down her foot hard on his instep. Gray shouted out, his grip on her wrist slackening, and Georgiana wrenched her arm free, turning to run. She only got as far as the door, however, when Gray caught up with her, seizing her around the waist and then delivering a harsh blow with the flat of his hand hard against the side of her head, knocking her to the ground. The world swam for a second as she landed, the sting of the blow bringing tears to her eyes automatically, and then Gray seized her by the hair and forced her to her knees.

 

“You try anything like that again, and you will find yourself in worse pain than this, You Highness!” he hissed, giving her a little shake. Georgiana winced as he pulled her hair in doing so. Inwardly she supposed it had been a stupid move on her part, rather childish too, but she was desperate to get out of this terrible place _before_ the Duke could lay his hands on her.

 

“Leave her be, you!” growled one of the women in another age, throwing what looked like an old chicken bone at Gray. It missed, landing at his feet and Gray let out a bark of laughter.

 

“Be thankful he wants you,” he hissed to Georgiana, dragging her to her feet. “All of you,” he added, his voice echoing around the room, and then he turned his face back to Georgiana. “Do you want to know what happens to the girls he gets fed up with?”

 

“I have a feeling you’re about to tell me,” Georgiana whispered, fiercely.

 

“He has them bound up and thrown into the Bilgesnipe Pit he keeps in the middle of the forest,” Gray sneered. “Horrible way to go, wouldn’t you say?”

 

Georgiana felt sick to her stomach as he thrust her out of the room, her knees colliding painfully with the stone steps as she was dragged up into the parlour room and released with such a force that she stumbled and fell to the floor, knocking hard against the edge of the marble fireplace, bruised all over in a matter of seconds.

 

“Get up!” Gray snapped as though she had fallen on purpose.

 

Georgiana stumbled to her feet, feeling that if she didn’t she would really be hurt for it. She caught hold of the edge of the mantelpiece to steady herself and Gray gave her a prod in the small of the back. “Keep walking,” he spat.

 

Georgiana shot him a look. “What happened to “Your Highness?” she couldn’t help sniping. After all, she had to show him that she wasn’t afraid of him; it was, after all, what Loki would have done.

 

Gray raised his hand, ready to deliver a backhand blow, like the Duke the night before, and Georgiana automatically flinched, turning her head away. Gray, however, simply smirked and seized her by the hair again, this time by the back of her head so that her face was forced upwards and there was no way she couldn’t look at him, other than closing her eyes.

 

“Typical,” was all he remarked, before releasing her and pushing her forwards again. “Hurry up; the Duke will have my head if you’re late.”

 

“Oh, wouldn’t that be a bad thing?” Georgiana snapped, sarcastically, but decided to hurry anyway. She tried to take stock of all around her as she was pushed along, of doors and windows and anything that could possibly be used as a weapon. To her dismay, however, most of the windows looked to be either barred or boarded up and the house was devoid of almost all furnishings. She supposed that the Duke had thought ahead should any of the girls in his harem ever attempt to escape.

 

Gray prodded her up the staircase, up three flights and along a corridor towards a door that was slightly ajar. Georgiana took that to mean that the Duke was inside waiting for her and was surprised when Gray kicked it open and it swung back to reveal that the room was devoid of company.

 

“Get inside,” Gray ordered, pushing her shoulders and she stumbled into the room, hearing the door swing shut and lock behind her. Automatically, she ran to the door and tried tugging on the handle, but it was no good. She leaned against it for a second, sighed and then straightened up to take in her surroundings.

 

All the room contained was a bed and a single chest of drawers. She went to this at once, pulling open drawers in the hope of finding something, anything, she could use as a weapon or a means of escape. But each one was empty. She sighed and closed them all again before going to the window, which was barred and misted. She wiped away some of the condensation, seeing only beyond it a stretch of green grass that could have been anywhere in the Nine Realms. A sudden pang of longing for the palace grounds hit her, remembering that only yesterday morning she and Loki had been in the gardens, playing with Winter and Wolf and talking about what it might be like having children of their own. Now it all seemed so far away, the memories of falling in love with and marrying him seeming even further.

 

“Loki,” she whispered, her voice cracking as a tear rolled down her cheek. She didn’t want to cry but she couldn’t help herself. How could she, remembering how happy she had been, how happy _they_ had been, together? She had never imagined until she had found him again just how much love a humanoid heart could hold for another person. Nor had she realised how deep the pain of being parted from him could be until the war had hit. This time, however, this parting, it was even worse.

 

The sound of the door being unlocked jolted her back to the horror of her situation and she turned about in alarm. Being parted from Loki was bad enough but on top of that she was miles from anywhere and with a man who wanted to...to...

 

She pushed that thought out of her mind. He would _not_ have her.

 

The door opened and the Duke walked in. His eyes were fixed on her. His look was hungry but at the same time impassionate, blank, and she knew then that this was a man who could never love anything, let alone a person, only what said anything could do for him. He loved to use those women downstairs but he didn’t love any of them. The thought of being made love to by such a man repulsed her.

 

“Take your clothes off.”

 

It was an order and she felt her jaw drop ever so slightly. However she stood her ground and folded her arms across her chest. “No,” she replied, firmly, congratulating herself on not letting her voice waver or any more tears fall.

 

The Duke stopped and she was reminded of a time in her youth when she had once seen a rather vicious swan hiss at a small dog. Swans usually threw their weight around when it came to dogs, she had noticed. What this swan wasn’t prepared for, however, was for the little dog to just bark right back at it. It had flinched, she remembered, clearly taken aback, before hissing one last time and floating off again, leaving the dog as the victor. Now the Duke was like that swan, hardly daring to believe that she was refusing to be intimidated by him, and she was like the little dog, unafraid and standing firm.

 

“Take them off,” he ordered again, spitting the words out clearly.

 

“No,” Georgiana repeated, and then in a firmer tone still, “I will not.”

 

The Duke stepped up to her and though he towered over her, she met his gaze without blinking, flinching or cowering away from him. His eyes were blazing. She didn’t back down, though.

 

“Either you take them off, or I will rip them off you and you will be sent back to your cage with nothing to cover you,” the Duke threatened. “Now I don’t think you really want that, do you?”

 

Georgiana took a step back from him, suddenly paranoid that he might try and tear her chemise and bloomers off there and then. “You’ll do no such thing, and neither will I!” she snapped. “And you will _not_ have me like you’ve had Bess and all the other girls!”

 

“Oh, yes, I will,” sneered the Duke, and he seized her by the back of her neck, his fingers digging into her flesh painfully. Georgiana couldn’t help whimpering in pain as he did so. “Don’t go thinking that just because you married a _Prince,”_ he said the word with venomous contempt, as if it was poison in his mouth, “that it makes you any better than me. You’re not of royal blood, after all.”

 

Georgiana blinked at him. “Is that meant to hurt me? Because it’s a pretty pathetic insult if it is.” The Duke gave her a shake but she just laughed. “Don’t you get it? I don’t need to be royalty to be part of their family! Loki loves me and because of that he is the only person who has a right to touch me or do anything intimate to me. You haven’t the right to do that, and since I’m not going to let you take me, you’ll have no choice but to feed me to your Bilgesnipes!”

 

The effect that her words had on him was both remarkable and frightening. The look of fury was replaced with a calm look and for a second she dared hope that he was thinking about letting her go. Then, in one movement, he had thrown her back against the wall with such a force that on making contact, Georgiana swore that she heard something snap. She certainly felt it, in her shoulder, pain shooting through her arm and back and she let out a scream of pain. Before she had time to tend to it, however, the Duke had her pinned against the wall, one hand pressed over her throat whilst the other pinned her good arm to her side.

 

“Do you think I care if you _let_ me have my way with you, Georgiana?” he hissed, and she flinched at the warmth of his breath against her cheek.

 

She shook her head. “I’ll keep fighting you. You’ll have to kill me.”

 

The Duke gave her a shove onto the bed. Georgiana, however, was not going to submit to the pain he had already inflicted upon her, and she managed to scramble over the mattress and roll onto the floor the other side, staggering to her feet and clutching her injured arm with the other. Something was definitely broken and it needed seeing to, soon, otherwise it would never heal properly. She backed against the chest of drawers, willing something she could use to defend herself with would just appear. Lately Loki had been teaching her to defend herself with a dagger, and she had become rather good at it, but there was nothing in sight that she could even use as a makeshift one of those.

 

_“You know, you are very attractive when you’re fierce,” he told her, watching her take down one of the straw training dummies he always practised his moves on. By the time she was done with it, there was nothing left but an explosion of straw and a few bits of sacking._

_Georgiana giggled, embarrassed. “Suppose I got carried away.”_

_“Doesn’t matter,” Loki insisted, pulling her close against him. “You’re very fast. Speed’s a good thing, otherwise you’d have been killed already.”_

_Georgiana thought for a moment. “Wh-what would happen if you lost your knife? Like...if someone managed to disarm you or something?”_

_“I’m glad you’re thinking ahead,” Loki replied, prompting a shy giggle from her. “Well, if that ever happened, then you could either try and take down your opponents unarmed or work with what you can find. Sharp stones or heavy rocks make for good close-contact weapons if there’s nothing else to hand.”_

_“You sound like you’re speaking from personal experience,” Georgiana smiled._

_Loki pulled her into his arms for a hug, relishing the feel of her snuggling up against him. “I hope we never have to go through another war again,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head, memories of being on that heated battlefield filling him again. “I can’t bear being away from you so long.”_

_“Neither can I,” Georgiana whispered, softly._

She cursed this place for not having anything, anything, that she could use to defend herself with, unless, unless...

 

The Duke was quick to follow her over the bed, and Georgiana didn’t stop to think. With her good hand, she fumbled about until she had caught hold of the handle of the smallest drawer, pulled it free and lashed out at him with it, clumsily. It did the trick however as she managed to catch him on the side of the head, knocking him back onto the bed. He let out a holler of pain and Georgiana tightened her grip on the drawer, ready to deliver another blow. Before the Duke could rise she had already backed towards the door and she could hear someone the other side fumbling with the lock.

 

“I warned you,” she whispered, brave in spite of her aching shoulder. “I will keep fighting back until you either let me go, or kill me.”

 

The Duke sat up as the door finally opened and she turned to see Gray and Sheridan standing there. Typically they were barring any chance she had of an escape as they both gawped at their Master. There was blood from her blow running down his temple, although he made no move to wipe it away. He gave Georgiana a twisted, lop-sided grin that sent a chill of terror through her body. “Well, perhaps a spell in the Chamber will change your mind.”

 

Georgiana yelped as Gray immediately seized her arms, pinning them behind her back and putting pressure on her injured shoulder. She dropped the drawer, missing his feet much to her annoyance, as she wriggled but Gray was holding her too tightly to escape. Sheridan didn’t touch her at all, merely picked up the drawer and put it back when the Duke shot him a look. Georgiana looked away from him as he approached her and took her chin, forcing her face to his, but she kept her eyes averted. “Don’t think I am so easily defeated, Georgiana. One way or another, you will be mine.”

 

She finally looked at him. “I’ll _never_ be yours. Never.”

He smirked. “We’ll see.”

 

Gray dragged her bodily from the room towards a door at the other end of the corridor and gave her a thrust inside. She let out a little gasp as she landed on her knees. The array of bloodstained knives and whips hanging along one wall, the chains hanging from the ceiling and the grizzly skeletal remains on the sawdust-covered floor pointed to one thing; this was a torture chamber.

 

Sheridan bent beside her and offered her a handkerchief. “Keep this folded between your teeth,” he advised and she frowned at him, even as he took it.

 

“Sheridan!” the Duke snapped and the man straightened up as Gray yanked her to her feet. “Give her twenty lashes!”

 

Georgiana’s eyes widened. “No!” she exclaimed, struggling in Gray’s grip, but he forced her arms above her head and locked them into the shackles from the ceiling.

 

“Master!” Sheridan protested. “No! No, it would be better if Gray did it! I’m clumsy with this sort of thing, you know that!”

 

“He asked you to do it!” Gray snapped, finally turning from Georgiana, who tried to pull free from her restraints but it was no good.

 

“Well, someone do it!” the Duke shouted, now wiping the blood from the side of his face. “I want to hear screams coming from this room,” and as he turned to face Georgiana, he added “and to see that pretty skin ruined by her own defiance.”

 

Georgiana shot him a glare as he turned and left the room, slamming the door in his wake.

 

“He told you to do it,” Gray repeated, reaching to yank a cat o’ nine tails off the wall.

 

Sheridan, however, refused to let him press it into his hands. “I won’t,” he insisted, and then he stepped up to Georgiana. She shot him a pleading look with her eyes. “I’m sorry,” Sheridan replied, and she knew he meant it. He reached up and removed the handkerchief from her hand. “Open,” he said, gently, folding it into a neat triangle. Georgiana allowed him to slip it into her mouth and he turned away from her without saying anything else.

 

“You’re going soft,” Gray sneered, taking up the whip and walking around behind Georgiana. She braced herself but nothing could have prepared her for the agony that followed. Each blow was worse than the last, tearing her skin open and leaving mark upon mark through her chemise. She stifled her screams as best as she could but they could still be heard even through her make-shift gag. Gray was relentless it seemed, because even when she had lost track of the blows, he didn’t. Sheridan grabbed his arm with a yelp. “He said twenty, not thirty!”

 

“I’ll give her as many as I like!” Gray snapped.

 

Sheridan didn’t give up, however. “He won’t thank you if you hurt her so much she can barely stand!”

 

Gray saw he had a point and lowered the now bloodied whip to the floor. “Fine,” he spat, throwing it down and stalking from the room.

 

Georgiana hung her head, thankful that it was finally over, although she was still in an incredible amount of agony. She was dimly aware of Sheridan releasing her wrists and removing the handkerchief from her mouth, and she raised her eyes to meet his.

 

“Why are you doing this?” she whispered, not daring to speak any louder.

 

Sheridan sighed. “I’ve never felt comfortable about this, to be perfectly honest, my Lady. All my life I’ve been on the wrong side of the law, pickpocketing here, conning rich merchants there. One day I conned the wrong rich man, however.” He nodded towards the door. “The Duke gave me an ultimatum; either I work for him or he turns me into the authorities. Well, if it’s all the same to you, Ma’m, I’d rather not end up with my head in a noose. I’ve always been a coward.”

 

“But why help me?” Georgiana asked.

 

Sheridan offered her a brief smile. “You remind me of my sister. She’d be the same age as you now, you look a bit like her too.”

 

“What’s her name?” Georgiana asked.

 

“Alicia,” Sheridan admitted. “I suppose, I don’t know, when I saw you I just felt...pity for you.”

 

Georgiana was too weary to say anything else and Sheridan seemed to sense this, for he took her wrist gently, making it look as if he were holding her tightly but without applying too much pressure and murmured “Here, lean on me,” as he led her from the room.

 

“Thank you,” Georgiana managed as he led her down the stairs and back to her cage. Only when she was locked back inside did she allow herself to cry.

 

“Oh, Georgiana,” Bess cooed, reaching through the bars for her hands. Georgiana grasped them in her own. “What did they use?”

 

“Cat o’ nine tails,” Georgiana sobbed.

 

A collected murmur of “Oh,” sympathy from the other women, went up around the room.

 

“Oh, Bess,” Georgiana whispered, raising her eyes to meet her friend’s. “I just want Loki so badly, I-”

 

She was cut off by another sob and Bess got as close as she could to her, reaching through the bars to wrap her in a hug as best as she could, stroking her hair. “I know,” she whispered, soothingly, comfortingly. “I know. But he will come.”

 

Though just how true that statement was, Bess had no idea.


	22. The Vow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki recalls a promise he once made...

 

Loki sighed as Sleipnir finally slowed his gallop. It looked like they’d lost the trail again. The storm had probably done that, the wind throwing scents together and mixing them up and the rain washing them away altogether. Still, he tried to reflect on a more positive angle, they had come a lot further this time before losing track of the trail and ahead of them the road looked straight, not split into three as it had been before. They had to be on the right track to finding Georgiana; they just _had_ to be.

 

He ran a hand through his hair. It had been mussed from all the riding in the wind, but for once his life he didn’t care how bedraggled he must look, not when the woman he loved had been snatched away from him. Who knew what horrors she must be experiencing right now?

 

Loki could remember when he had been seven, on the verge of eight, years old when he had first heard his Father mention the Duke of Devonshir, or rather his Father, Lord Cavendish, who was now late. He had been playing Hide-and-Seek with Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three and had chosen a good place, their parents’ room. Hearing someone coming, he had quickly thrown himself under the bed and lain as still as he could so that by the time they came in, he was nowhere in sight.

_“Devonshir’s not happy?” Frigga said, sounding like she was repeating whatever Odin had just told her._

_“That’s what John told me,” Odin replied with a shrug. “I mean, it’s only natural, of course; when Georgiana was born he assumed that she’d be a match for his son. So far he’s had little luck finding anyone of suitable breeding or age to marry into his family.”_

_At the sound of Georgiana’s name, Loki stiffened beneath the bed, watching it move as his parents sat down upon it._

_“How old is his son?” Frigga asked._

_“Ah, I think he’d be about Thor’s age now, maybe a little older,” Odin confessed, scratching his head._

_Frigga whistled. “And he hasn’t found a match yet?”_

_“Well, neither has_ our _eldest,” Odin chuckled._

_“I know, but we’ve already made our political ties with a neighbouring kingdom through our youngest, so we don’t have to worry,” Frigga laughed._

_“From what John tells me, Duke’s wrath or not, he’s very happy that he chose our family,” Odin said, his voice serious now. “According to him, the younger Duke is nothing but a spoiled bully who will do anything to get his own way, a bit like his Father in his youth. John says that at least with Loki, Georgiana stands some chance of being safe. Sounds like the Duke would give his eye teeth and more to take her off us.”_

_Before Loki could stop himself, he had rolled out from under the bed with an exclamation of “He’s not having her!”_

_“Loki!” Frigga exclaimed in surprise, getting to her feet._

_Odin frowned at him. “What are you doing in here?”_

_“Hiding,” Loki said, by way of explanation, and then when his parents exchanged a glance, he sighed and elaborated “Thor’s not the best at Hide-and-Seek.”_

_Frigga laughed lightly. Odin smiled and leaned down to pull his son to his feet. “So, you thought you’d pick the best hiding place to outwit him, hm?”_

_Loki looked at his feet, shuffling them a bit as he clasped both hands behind his back. “He can’t have her.”_

_His Mother frowned. “What are you talking about, Loki?”_

_“That Duke.” Loki raised his head to meet their confused looks. “He’s not having Georgiana.” Then, as a stubborn afterthought, “She’s mine.”_

_Frigga glanced at Odin. “I think you’ve been scaring our son, Odin.”_

_“Indeed,” Odin sighed, turning to his son and indicating for him to join them on the bed. Loki did so, sitting between them, and Odin put a hand on his shoulder. “Now, Loki, you mustn’t pay attention to all that. There is nothing that the Duke of Devonshir can do about your betrothal to Georgiana. He may be angry that John favoured our family over his, but he can’t stop it, nor can he ever tear the two of you apart. He has no power to do so.”_

_Loki looked up into his Father’s wise face, battle-scarred over the years, the bright remaining eye looking back into his small green ones. “Promise?”_

_“I promise, Loki,” Odin replied. “When she’s of age, your marriage to her will go ahead, just as we’ve always planned. Nothing will stop it from happening.”_

_Loki thought for a moment and then added “Unless one of us dies of illness first.”_

_His parents both laughed. “Well, yes, that could stop it, but apart from that, nothing,” Odin agreed._

_Loki nodded. His Mother smiled, knowingly, as she stroked her youngest son’s hair. “You and Georgiana were born to be together, Loki.”_

_Loki looked at her and then back at his Father. “Georgiana will be safe with me. You can tell her Father that,” he added when Odin looked slightly confused. “I’ll protect her for the rest of my life, I swear.”_

_Odin cottoned on and laughed. “I know you will, son, and so does John. Now, why don’t you find somewhere else to hide where you won’t be interrupted, hm?”_

_Loki took it as a friendly dismissal and did what he was told, vowing there and then that he would never let anything happen to Georgiana._

Now in the present, remembering that promise, Loki wanted to kick himself. So far into their marriage, Georgiana had already been almost taken advantage of by a visiting Prince, and now she had fallen prey to kidnappers. And not just any kidnappers, men working for the one man whom Loki had always vowed would never have her.

 

His only comfort was the knowledge that his wife was a strong-willed woman and that she would fight back against the Duke as much as she could. She would never give herself up to him willingly, not for anything. Kicking Sleipnir’s sides, Loki urged him onwards, thinking of nothing but Georgiana until they found themselves coming upon a small country tavern at the side of the road. The whole building was painted black, with a faded sign indicating that it was called The First and Last. Well named, he had to admit, since they were so near the border that it would be the first tavern any travellers coming into Asgard would come across, and also the last one that anyone leaving Asgard would see. There was a post for tying horses up at the side of the road, which was empty, so Loki swung himself down from Sleipnir.

 

“Easy,” he muttered as Sleipnir snorted a complaint at having to stop. He quickly tied the reins securely around the post and then, dagger at the ready just in case this quiet-seeming little place turned out to be rather rowdy indoors, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

 

The place was almost deserted, bar two men, a baker and a land worker, sitting at separate tables with their drinks and a stout barman whistling cheerfully to himself as he cleaned a glass with a rag. At the sound of the door opening, he said “What’ll it be, squire?” before turning around fully, seeing who had come in and promptly dropping the glass and the rag to the floor. The glass shattered and Loki rolled his eyes at the effect his mere presence had on these simple people.

 

“Prince Loki!” the barman gulped, straightening up at once and then attempting to dry the bar with the corner of his apron. “My apologies, Your Highness, for the state of this place, not often we get royalty come in here! Please, do take a seat and-”

 

Loki cut him off by walking straight up to the bar and leaning towards him. The barman shut up at once. “I’m here on business, not pleasure, and I’m in a hurry, so I’d appreciate it if you’d give me the information I need quickly.”

 

The barman nodded. “Well, what do you want to know, Sire?”

 

“I’m looking for my wife,” Loki began.

 

The land worker chuckled as he lowered his beer glass. “What’s up, Your Highness? She up and leave you? Some of these maidens you get are terribly flighty and fickle! I remember a time once-!”

 

He was cut off as Loki made a quick movement that ended with the land worker being pinned up against the wall with Loki’s arm pressed over his windpipe. “I haven’t lost her, peasant, not has she run away, at least not by her own will, and you are never to refer to any wife of mine as flighty or fickle, is that understood?”

 

The man winced and nodded. “Yes, Sire. Forgive me, Sire.”

 

Loki immediately dropped the man, who immediately let out a hoarse rasp and massaged his throat as he turned back to the barman.

“I can assure you, Your Highness,” the barman said, quickly, “there’s been no Princess come into my inn, not in the last forty years or so at least-”

 

“I didn’t say that I thought she’d be here,” Loki cut in, irritated by their stupidity. “I’m looking for some information on the man who kidnapped her.”

 

That got their rapt attention. “Kidnapped, my Lord?” the baker exclaimed in a hushed tone. “Are you sure?”

 

“I know it for a fact,” Loki answered. “What can any of you tell me about Cavendish, the Duke of Devonshir?”

 

“Devonshir?” The barman pulled a face. “Never liked him, Sire. He’s been in here plenty a-time, checking out the local girls. In fact-” He cut himself off with a frown and scratched his head. “Now _that_ would explain a few things, would that.”

 

Curiosity getting the better of him, Loki asked “What?”

 

“Well, a month or two ago, there was one of our local girls in here, Bess something or other, come in with some friends for a drink and the Duke was here. Well, I could see he had his eye on her, like. Next news, turns out she’s gone missing. Everyone kept saying that she’d run off with an illicit lover or something, but, I don’t know, Sire, something about that explanation don’t satisfy me.” The barman pursed his lips. “Come to think of it, the Duke ain’t been in here since either, so if that’s not a connection, I don’t know what is.”

 

“Do you know where I might be able to find him?” Loki asked.

 

“Happen I might, actually,” the barman replied. “I say “might,” mind, but if he ain’t there, it’d be a good place to start looking, I’d say.”

 

“Where?” Loki asked.

 

“There’s an old manor house out in the middle of the country that way,” the barman replied, indicating to his right-hand side. “Out in the middle of nowhere, they say. I can’t tell you how many miles away it is but it is a long way. You’d have to get good and properly lost to be able to find it, I reckon. It’s been abandoned for years, but there was a time, I remember, the Duke and some of his men were in here, talking about buying it. If they did, well, then, it’d be the perfect hiding place, wouldn’t it? Not much chance of someone stumbling across them accidently there.”

 

Loki felt his heart begin to hammer in his chest as he straightened up. “Thank you,” he said, keeping his voice steady. “You’ve been very helpful.”

 

The barman bowed. “Hope you find her, Sire.”

 

“So do I,” Loki muttered, stepping over the fallen land worker, who was still massaging his throat and then adding a regretful “Sorry about that,” over his shoulder to him as he did so.

 

The land worker waved a hand with a grunt of “Happens all the time, Sire.”

 

Once outside again, Loki felt both eager and sick. The eagerness was anticipation that he was going to find Georgiana, rescue her from whatever nightmare she was currently trapped in. The sickness was from what the barman had told him.

 

_“It’d be the perfect hiding place, wouldn’t it? Not much chance of someone stumbling across them accidently there.”_

 

He remembered Askr’s words too.

 

_“He...collects them, you see. For his harem. He has many of them, somewhere, locked up someplace.”_

He felt himself beginning to shake in anger and fear. If the Duke had done anything to her, if he had harmed her in anyway, laid his hands on her...his stomach churned and he took a deep breath, keeping the sickness in. Reaching Sleipnir, he leaned against him, breathing deeply, telling himself over and over that Georgiana was going to be alright, that he would find her, he would see her again and rescue her.

 

Glancing up the way they had just come, he remembered that he had promised to leave Thor and his party some kind of sign as to which direction they needed to follow him in. Closing his eyes, he thought hard, trying to think of some way to do that. Then he remembered something he had once shown Thor in their youth; a book on ancient runic symbols. They had both once tried to copy them so that they could have their own written language just the two of them, but in the end all they had been able to master were the runes that stood for “Yes,” “No,” “Promise” and “Follow Me.”

 

Opening his eyes, Loki nodded decisively to himself and pulled out his dagger. Stepping up to the side of the tavern, he closed his eyes and in a quick motion, slit his palm with the sharp edge. The pain he felt then was nothing compared to the pain of having Georgiana snatched away from him. Raising his now bloody dagger, he quickly carved the symbol for “Follow Me” which consisted of two arrows joined at their points inside a rhombus shape, three times along the side of the wall, hoping that Thor would follow the line the right way and then at the end of the line, the symbol for “Promise,” which looked a cross with a line through it inside a triangle.

 

“Georgiana,” Loki whispered, pressing his bloodstained palm to the rune he had just carved, watching small trickles of his own blood run down the dark wood. It would dry soon and stain. “I swear to you, by my own blood, I _will_ find you and I _will_ not rest until you’re safe in my arms again. And I will _never_ let anything like this happen to you ever again.”

 

He decided against healing himself. The pain felt well-deserved, for his foolishness, for having let anything like this happen to Georgiana in the first place, for having broken his last promise, even if it _had_ been a matter beyond his control. He felt like there was surely something he could have done to stop it from happening. Instead, he simply untied Sleipnir’s reins, pulling himself up into the saddle regardless that his hand was now stinging and getting blood all over his horse’s tack, and then turned him in the direction that the barman had indicated.

 

“An old manor in the middle of nowhere,” he repeated. “Shouldn’t be too difficult to find.”

 

Kicking his heels into Sleipnir’s sides, he set off again at a gallop, feeling that he was racing against time to find Georgiana and bring her home again.

 

***

 

Isolde paced the floor nervously, her stomach twisted in knots of worry and dread, her fingers lacing themselves together in her despair. The second she had run into the courtroom and alerted Odin and Frigga to what had happened, Odin had set off after his sons with his guards and she and Frigga had been left to wait and listen out for any news. So far they had heard nothing.

 

They had moved from the courtroom into Loki and Georgiana’s room to check on Winter and Wolf, who had played together on the floor for a while, blissfully unaware of the fact that their Mistress was missing and that their Master had gone off to find her, before snuggling down to sleep on the double bed. Playing with them had taken her mind off the horror of the situation somewhat, but now Isolde was feeling restless and useless where she was, just pacing and waiting.

 

Frigga got to her feet, reached out and took her hand. “It _will_ be alright,” she said, soothingly.

 

Isolde sighed. “I suppose I can’t help worrying,” she admitted. “I mean, you hear about things like this happening sometimes, but you never once imagine it’ll happen to someone you care about.” She shook her head. “I should have gone with her.”

 

“If you had, you’d have been kidnapped too,” Frigga replied, calmly, squeezing her hand.

 

Isolde had to admit that she was right. “I hope Georgiana’s alright,” she said, glancing out of the window.

 

“I’m sure she’s just fine,” Frigga replied. “She’s strong. Though I know Loki’s probably out of his mind with worry.”

 

“He is,” Isolde agreed. “I never knew he could get so riled up until I saw him confront Askr in the shop.” They were silent a minute and then she went on “They’re both so brave, Loki and Thor.”

 

“They take after their Father,” Frigga smiled. Then, knowingly, she added “Now, is it my imagination, or are you starting to perhaps like Thor a little more than you did when you married him?”

 

Isolde blushed and looked up at her. “Is it that obvious?”

 

Frigga laughed and pulled her close for a hug. “My boys can never hide anything from my; and neither can their wives, Isolde.”

 

Isolde managed a small smile. “Frigga, I think...I mean, Georgiana’s described how Loki makes her feel when she’s with him, and how she feels about him, so vividly...and I think that’s how I feel about Thor now. I think I love him.”

 

Frigga smiled and hugged her tighter. “I think you’re right, Isolde. And from what I’ve seen, I think Thor just might feel the same.” Isolde glanced at her and her smile broadened. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

 

Isolde laughed and then felt bad for doing so at such a time. She sighed. “I hope you’re right, Frigga. About all of it.”

 

“So do I,” Frigga murmured as they both turned to gaze out of the window, praying to the heavens that Georgiana would return to them safe and sound.

 


	23. Love Will Find A Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when everything seems wrong, suddenly it all becomes right...

It was hard to sleep in the cramped confines of the cage, but even harder to do so with half her back torn open. Each time she caught a whiff of her own fresh blood, Georgiana felt sick. It would have been one thing if she had done it to herself, on purpose or by tripping up in the garden or something, but the knowledge that someone else had done it to her, viciously, relentlessly, made her stomach turn over.

 

Closing her eyes, she tried a trick that her Father had taught her in her youth; to envision that she was somewhere else entirely. “Playing the Happy Game,” he had called it. She smiled, slightly, remembering the day he had told her about it, stating that he had “discovered” it when he had had to attend a rather boring social engagement with his parents when he was a little younger than she was now.

 

_“I imagined that I was in the middle of a great forest and there was plenty of hunting sport to be had, Georgiana,” he explained. “It was certainly a lot more entertaining than just sitting and listening to everyone else talk around me.”_

_“Can you teach me to play it, Papa?” Georgiana asked, eagerly, sitting up in her bed._

_“Of course,” John smiled, pulling her to sit on his lap. “It’s very easy. You just close your eyes and envision where you want to be.”_

_“Envision?” Georgiana repeated, closing her eyes._

_“That means to imagine something so vividly that it almost becomes real,” John explained. “Reach out with all five of your senses. See the beauty. Hear the sounds. Inhale the scents. Feel the textures. Taste the wonders. When I imagined myself in that forest, it was more than just seeing with my eyes. I could hear the running of the deer and smell all those wonderful exotic flowers and the wild garlic growing all around. That’s when a dream can become real, and so much better than reality.”_

Georgiana took a deep breath and scrunched her eyes up tightly, trying to imagine herself back in Asgard. Familiar places were better because she could rely on memory rather than imagination to do the trick for her. She pictured the palace in all its golden glory, the highest tips of the towers kissing the sky and the polished marble hallways and the vast beautiful grounds. She imagined that she could smell all those exotic blooms that Frigga kept tenderly and carefully attended to and the way the soil smelt after the rain. That made her think of Winter and Wolf and how many smells their young noses could pick up on when they were close to the ground. She put them in her vision of the grounds too, scampering around and barking playfully as they rolled about at her feet, and she pictured the warmth of them as they brushed against her ankles and the softness of their fur. In her mind, she bent to stroke them and they licked her hand.

 

Then she felt something else against her hand, someone else’s hand. She managed a smile. Loki. He was there beside her in the garden, smiling with her as they watched their pets play, his fingers laced through hers, clasping them tightly and tenderly, as if he never wanted to let her go again. Her hands always felt smaller in his, she noticed, but in a way that made her feel protected. In her mind, they straightened up together and Loki pulled her closer to him, catching her other hand with his free one and she pressed closer to him, feeling the warmth of him against her. It made her heart race as she inhaled his natural scent, which was one she could never quite place, of something masculine, strong but gentle at the same time, just the scent of Loki. Her Loki. She imagined closing her eyes as he slid his arms around her, holding her lovingly, and she suddenly felt safe, wrapped in his embrace, even though she knew that it was only in her mind.

 

But the memories were, after all, based on reality.

 

“Have I told you that I love you today yet?” Loki asked.

 

She smiled. “Yes, but I do love hearing you say it.”

 

“I love you,” Loki murmured, drawing her even closer, kissing the top of her head.

 

“I love _you,_ Loki,” Georgiana whispered back, reaching up to kiss him. She could almost feel his lips against hers; almost taste the tantalisingly delicious taste of his kisses, the taste that _felt_ like home. Suddenly she felt warm inside, remembering what it was to be so close to him, to be loved by him.

 

“What are you thinking about?” Loki asked. She could feel his hand stroking through her hair in that gentle way that always lulled her and made her feel safe. “Right now?”

 

Her voice was barely a whisper as she snuggled against him. “You.”

 

“Georgiana?”

 

The new voice roused her and she opened her eyes to find that it was now growing darker. Someone had shoved a bowl of what looked like cold meat stew along with a crust of bread and a tin pitcher of water into her cage; when had they done that? How could she not have noticed? She glanced at Bess who was watching her closely.

 

“You were talking in your sleep,” she said when Georgiana simply frowned questioningly at her.

 

“I was asleep?” Georgiana repeated, and then realised that playing the Happy Game and dreaming about being back in Loki’s arms again must have lulled her to sleep at last. She stretched, gingerly. Her back twinged painfully but it felt like her wounds were probably starting to heal. She hoped so. She still felt warm though, like she had just been wrapped in a mass of blankets on a summer’s day, and when she felt her forehead, it seemed unnaturally hot. Still, she put that down to how imagining being with Loki again had made her feel.

 

Looking up properly, she saw that Gray was still in the room and that he was the one shoving food into the cages. One of the older women tried to grab at his sleeve as he pushed her food in, murmuring feverishly about shooting pains in her head, but he wrenched away from her and glare at her as if she were the lowest form of filth. Georgiana felt a surge of anger when he did that, wanting to remind him that the only reason they were in the Duke’s harem was because they had been kidnapped by _him,_ but not wanting to face another beating, she decided it was probably best to keep her mouth shut.

 

“Eat,” he snarled casting Georgiana a dark look as he stalked past her. “The Duke likes them with a bit more meat on them.”

 

The door swung closed behind him with a bang that was painful on the ears. Georgiana glanced down at her food. The stew was thin but lumpy, the gravey congealing and the meat was leathery. The bread was slightly stale and unbuttered. It looked like the kind of meal she might feed Winter and Wolf if she were in any kind of sadistic mood.

 

“You’d better eat,” Bess advised, already gulping down her own stew. “They won’t be any kinder if you don’t.”

 

Her stomach growled so she did as advised. The stew tasted as awful as it looked but she forced it down anyway, although she could hear her palate crying for the delicious, well-cooked meals she was so used to at home. Home. She wanted to cry herself as she thought about being back there with the people she loved so much; Odin and Frigga and Thor and Isolde and Loki, Loki most of all, but she forced herself not to. She couldn’t let them see her cry again. She had to be braver than that.

 

“Keep calm and carry on, right?” she said, hoping that she sounded somewhat optimistic.

 

Bess glanced at her and then smiled. “Right,” she agreed, before taking a swig of her water.

 

Georgiana concentrated on chewing her bread, which took a lot of effort, but she supposed it could have been worse. It could have been rock hard and tooth-breaking. At least it was only tough. She managed to wash it down with the water, which also had a slightly stale taste to it. She frowned. “Is any of this food unspoiled?”

 

“Probably not,” Bess shrugged. “Why would the Duke waste good food on us? We’re little more than chattel to him.”

 

Georgiana shuddered. “But surely he wouldn’t want us to waste away or become ill?”

 

“He doesn’t care,” Bess replied.

 

Feeling that that was probably all that she would say on the matter, Georgiana decided to ask something else. “When you were brought here, was Sheridan...kind to you?”

 

“Depends what you mean by kind,” Bess shrugged. She took a sip of water and contemplated the question thoughtfully, like a merchant purchasing a fine wine. “He did seem genuinely remorseful for his actions. I think he might regret getting tangled up with the Duke and Gray, but he feels like he’s got no choice.”

 

Georgiana nodded. “The Duke told him to whip me, but he refused. Gray did it in the end.”

 

“That would explain why you’re in so much pain,” Bess replies, her face soft and sympathetic. “He is relentless with a whip, is Gray.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Georgiana agreed. She felt around for one of the wounds he had inflicted on her and shuddered when her hand came away wet. “Do they give us anything to heal ourselves with?”

 

“Oh, please,” sighed the woman who had grabbed at Gray when he had brought their food. “They rejoice in our pain. I’ve had this shooting headache for weeks now, but they don’t listen. They don’t care if we die. More food for the Bilgesnipes.”

 

Georgiana ducked her head. “Someone must come soon, and find us.”

 

Bess offered her a small smile. “If your husband’s as determined as you say, then perhaps we’ve all got reason to hope.”

 

Georgiana nodded. “Loki would travel around the whole of the Nine Realms to find me. I just know it.” She hesitated, fingering the edge of her chemise. “Though, we can’t be all that far away from Asgard, surely? I think it only took a few hours for us to get here when I was taken.”

 

“Yes, but if your Loki has no idea where they’ve taken you...” Bess shrugged. “It could take him longer.”

 

“Perhaps,” Georgiana agreed, as she brought her knees up to her chin. “But he’ll never give up. I know he won’t.”

 

Suddenly she wondered what she was doing, sitting here in a cage, starving and shivering and bruised, like the princess in a fairytale who needed rescuing by the prince. This wasn’t her. She glanced up towards the door, thinking about something Loki had once taught her about logic.

 

_“People never think about this in books,” he said as they lay together in the library sharing a great volume about a couple of friends who ran away to sea and had so far found themselves locked in the captain’s brigg. “They always try to get the door open; they never think to try and escape when the door’s already open.”_

_“If they did that, there’d be a guard or someone standing there,” Georgiana pointed out._

_“Exactly.” Loki glanced at her. “So, instead of trying to open the door, they should try and find a way of subduing the guard. You see? There’s always a way around any problem as long as you think about it properly.”_

The words came back to her now and she began to think carefully, plotting a possible exit. “Gray has keys for each of these cages, right?” she said, carefully.

 

“Yes, he’s the only one who does,” Bess replied. “At least I’ve never known Sheridan to come and let us out-” She broke off as the door suddenly banged open again and Gray stalked in. They watched as he ignored them both, unlocked a cage opposite them and dragged one of the other girls out by her hair. The girl made no noise of protest, clearly knowing that it was pointless resisting, instead simply following him in silence as he pulled her from the room and slammed the door behind them. At once Georgiana felt the beginning of an escape plan beginning to form in her mind.

 

“If we could somehow get them from him,” she murmured, slowly.

 

Bess looked at her. “We’d never get away with it. It’s madness.”

 

Georgiana bit back a laugh. “You’re beginning to sound like Loki now.” Making up her mind, she began to tear at the hem of her already ruined chemise and pull until she had ripped a thick strip of material away. Bess watched her in silence and when she finally spoke up, she sounded as if she already knew the answer to her question.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“I have a plan,” Georgiana replied, and then glancing around at all the other women, she added, “We can’t keep living like this. I for one would rather die than stay here another second. But we have to work together.”

 

One of the other women leaned forwards with interest. “What do you have in mind?”

 

“Don’t listen to her,” groused the headachy woman. “She’s just feeding us false hope to try and make us feel better.”

 

“I’m really not,” Georgiana insisted. “I’m just thinking logically. Divided against Gray, we’re weak. I mean, it’s easy for him to be the strong one when he only has to deal with one of us at a time. But there are more of us than him when we’re together. We can overpower him.”

 

“How?” asked another girl, sorrowfully. “When we’re locked in these cages?”

 

“I’m coming to that,” Georgiana replied, patiently. “If what I’ve got in mind works, we won’t be locked in cages for much longer.”

 

It wasn’t long before Gray came back, dragging the girl, who looked more than a little worse for wear, along with him; by which time Georgiana had already explained her plan and experienced more than just a little constructive criticism from her fellow prisoners. But eventually, with a little help from Bess, she had been able to convince them to at least try.

 

Gray was silent as he shoved the girl back in her cage and locked her in. Georgiana took a deep breath and then began to bang at the bars of her cage. “You had better let me out of here!” she shouted. “Otherwise you’ll be sorry!”

 

He whipped his head in her direction. “Be quiet!”

 

“No, I will not!” Georgiana cried, passionately, watching out of the corner of her eye as Bess prepared herself for what was about to come. “I am a Princess of Asgard and you will let me out now!”

 

“I said, be quiet!” Gray snarled, advancing towards her, and although Georgiana was a little afraid, she kept up the pretence of the difficult prisoner. She knocked against the bars again, even though her broken shoulder and her back protested in pain.

 

“Why? What are you going to do to me?” she taunted. “Whip me again? Do you think that makes you any better than me? Well, I’d like to see you try and hurt me!”

 

For good measure, she banged against the bars again and Gray’s face clouded as he pulled out the keys and unlocked her door. Instinctively, Georgiana shrank back as he seized her bad arm and she yelped, struggling and kicking as he pulled her to her feet. “You’ve got some nerve, you little bitch,” he spat.

 

“Now!” Georgiana shouted and Bess reached through the bars and seized Gray’s ankle. The girls in the cages beside them did the same, or at least attempted to, and as they did so, Gray attempted to kick them off. In doing so, he lost his balance, the keys falling to the floor and Georgiana snatched them up, once again ignoring the pain in her shoulder as she dived to the floor for them, and tossed them to Bess. That all happened a second before Gray lost his balance completely and fell, bringing her down with him. Her arm twisted and she let out a shriek as her knees hit the floor painfully but in the confusion she was able to break free from his grip and quickly bind his ankles together with the strip of fabric she had ripped from her chemise.

 

 _Thank goodness they taught us to tie knots at school,_ she thought.

 

“You little-!” Gray’s insult was lost as Bess unlocked the door of her cage and the girls gave a cheer as she hurried to help the rest of them. Seconds later, they came rushing out one by one, pouring toward Gray, clawing and lashing out at him, overpowering him completely.

 

“Come on!” Bess bellowed, running for the door.

 

The headachy woman, however, had the idea of rolling Gray into one of the now vacant cages and so they all did that, making a point of slamming the door shut and locking it behind him. Clambering groggily to her feet, Georgiana shook her head to clear it and grabbed the wall to steady herself. Suddenly she was feeling hot all over again, although she had no idea why. Her mind landed on Loki and suddenly she felt steadier on her feet. The girls were rushing around her like rats let loose from a trap, almost knocking her over as they ran for the door.

 

“Georgiana, come on,” Bess insisted, grabbing her good arm and pulling her through the doorway.

 

Georgiana stumbled a little as they raced up the stairs and as they reached the parlour, she remembered something. “My things! Sheridan has them!”

 

“Leave them! We’ve got to escape!” Bess cried.

 

“No, Bess, those are things that I absolutely cannot leave behind!” Georgiana replied, firmly. “You go! All of you! Just go! I have to go upstairs!”

 

“The Duke will kill you,” Bess said, her eyes wide.

 

“I’m prepared to take that risk,” Georgiana replied, and then she gave her bully-turned-friend a hug. “Go somewhere safe.”

 

“What’s going on here?”

 

The Duke’s roar sent a chill through everyone and the next thing Georgiana knew there was so much confusion that everyone was running everywhere but towards the front door. The girls seemed to have abandoned the idea of making a break for it and were now intent on finding somewhere to hide. Leaving Bess wherever she was, Georgiana hurried up the stairs and almost collided with Sheridan on the way up.

 

Her heart lurched. “Please,” she whispered. “Let me go.”

 

He looked all around her at the confusion. “What’s going on?”

 

“An escape,” Georgiana replied. “Look, if you have any good in you at all, like I believe you have, please, let us go and get yourself out. Do something good with your life. This is your chance and it may be the only one you ever get. Do it for Alicia,” she added when he hesitated.

 

Sheridan glanced at her. “Alicia. Yes.”

 

Georgiana gave him an encouraging nod. “She wouldn’t want you to be a villain like the Duke. Avoid that fate; be free like the rest of us.”

 

Sheridan nodded, slowly. “Well, what about you?”

 

“Don’t worry about me. I have a palace and a Prince to go back to,” Georgiana replied. “But I’m not leaving without my belongings.”

 

“They’re upstairs,” Sheridan replied, pointing. “Top floor, my room at the end of the left corridor, in a top drawer. I thought you might want them back at some point.” He shot her a lopsided smile when she looked startled. “You’re very like Alicia; I suspected that you might try something like this.”

 

“Thank you,” Georgiana replied, patting his shoulder as she hurried past him.

 

“Be careful!” Sheridan called after her, before making his hurried descent.

 

Georgiana ploughed up and onwards. As she reached the top floor, however, a few screams reached her ears and she heard someone shout out “Fire!” She hesitated for a fraction of a second and then hurried along the corridor Sheridan had indicated. Bursting into the room, she was overcome yet again with a wave of some kind of sickness, like a dizzy feeling but she shook it off as she made for the chest of drawers. Pulling open the first one she came to, she let out a small sigh of relief as she found her emerald pendant nestled on a black velvet back and as she fastened it quickly about her neck, she felt once again close to Loki. Her Father’s old hunting horn lay beside it and an idea suddenly struck her. Wherever they were, there had to be a village or a few houses close by and if there was a fire downstairs...what was it her Father had always told her about this horn?

 

_“I could blow it and someone would come, as if by magic.”_

 

She ran quickly to the window and pulled it open through the bars before raising the horn to her lips and blowing. The sound was typical of the kind hunting horns made, but she made the effort to make it sound loud amidst whatever confusions must be going on downstairs. Whether or not someone would come, she had no idea, but at least she had tried. Sheridan’s drawer also contained a leather belt with a pouch and she quickly tied it about her wait as tightly as it could go, tucking the horn away into the pouch; along with what looked to be a knife. She pulled it out with a frown, slipping the thing from the casing. It was a knife, a hunting knife, but it could make for a weapon if she needed to-

 

“You!”

 

Georgiana dropped the casing and whirled around to face the Duke. Never before in her life had she seen a man look so angry. It looked like she might have to fight her way out after all. She kept a tight grip on the knife, everything Loki had ever taught her about self-defence coming back to her as she did so.

 

“You stay away from me,” she threatened, sounding braver than she felt.

 

The Duke merely laughed, however, brushing off her threat. “You’re hardly going to get far with a broken shoulder, are you?”

 

“That doesn’t mean I won’t try,” Georgiana replied, fiercely.

 

“Put that thing down before you hurt yourself,” the Duke said, sounding like he was talking to a small and very stupid child.

 

Georgiana bristled. “It won’t be me that ends up getting hurt,” she replied.

 

_“Don’t go straight for the attack; take them by surprise.”_

The Duke took a step towards her and she braced herself.

 

_“Feet apart, weight even. That’s my girl.”_

 

She couldn’t help liking it when he used that expression; that’s my girl. It reminded her just how similar they were, and just how strong their love was.

 

“You think you’re very clever, don’t you?” the Duke sneered.

 

_“Never let words intimidate you, or cause a reaction. That’s just what they’re hoping for.”_

 

“Well, I am married to a very clever man,” Georgiana replied, coolly, watching his reaction to that. “He teaches me quite a lot.”

 

_“Use your head. Always think before acting.”_

“You belong to me by rights,” the Duke snarled.

 

“You’re mad if you really believe that,” Georgiana replied, a shudder running through her as the thought of being married to the Duke repulsed her.

 

“You are mine!”

 

“I am Loki’s! And no one else’s!”

 

He grabbed her by the throat and as Georgiana swung the hand holding the knife around, he grabbed her wrist.

 

_“Don’t panic if it looks like they’ve got you at a loss. So many other body parts can be used as weapons.”_

She brought up her knee and caught him in the groin. His grip on her wrist slackened although his grasp on her throat only tightened. Still, she managed to wrench her arm free and deliver a slash to his arm, the one holding her throat. With a roar or rage, he released her, and she didn’t stop to think about anything else, she just ran, through the door and along the corridor.

 

Halfway along, however, he caught up with her, grabbing her broken shoulder and spinning her around to face him. She could smell smoke, although she took the fact that she couldn’t see any around them to be a good sign.

 

“Dead or alive, I **will have you!”** the Duke snarled.

 

Georgiana felt her stomach drop. There was something seriously wrong with this man. She brought up the knife again, but this time he was ready for her and flipped her to the floor. She landed hard, letting out a shriek as she banged her head and her shoulder felt like it had broken all over again and the knife flew from her grip. Unable to focus as the world swam, she was suddenly aware of being pulled upright and then suddenly the feel of a blade against her throat.

 

 _“I’m sorry, Loki,”_ was all she could think as she braced herself for the fatal blow. _“I did my best...”_

But as the Duke raised his arm, he suddenly let out a yell of pain as a dagger came seemingly out of nowhere and embedded itself in his shoulder. He dropped his own blade and as he staggered away from Georgiana, she felt herself slide to the floor, trying to make sense of what had just happened. A second later, however, it all made perfect sense as a flash of green shot past her and the person wearing it seized the Duke by the collar.

 

Loki was furious.

 

And when Loki was furious he was not a man to be messed with.

 

All Georgiana was really aware of was a lot of hitting and shouts of pain, all of which were coming from the Duke as Loki just poured his anger out into the man whom had kidnapped, beaten and whom he had just stopped from executing his wife. He had heard the sound of the hunting horn and his suspicions had been confirmed at the sight of scantily clad women running out from an abandoned manor house. Georgiana’s shriek of pain had alerted him to her location in the nick of time, and now his anger had turned to pure hatred for this man as he continued to just try and hurt every single inch of him he could reach.

 

Georgiana raised her head, feeling like she might just faint. “Loki,” she managed to say.

 

Loki turned his head to her and realised that her need was far greater than his need to punish the man who had done this to her. At any rate, the Duke was barely able to stand now as it was. “If you even think about coming near my wife again, I will not hesitate to kill you,” he hissed, finally slamming the Duke to the floor, rendering him unconscious, before diving to Georgiana’s side. “Georgiana?”

 

Georgiana blinked up at him. This had to be some kind of dream, and if it was, it was the kind that she didn’t want to end. “I knew you’d come,” she whispered, desperately, clinging to the front of his tunic. “I’m so hot...”

 

Loki felt her forehead, worriedly. “You’re burning up,” he said, scooping her into his arms and getting to his feet. Georgiana lay her head against his chest, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of him. No, this was real, this couldn’t be a dream, could it? It had to be real. “We need to get you to the Healing Room,” Loki said, throwing a glance over his shoulder at the Duke before making his way from the corridor.

 

She made a small sigh of relief as she clung to him. “Loki...”

 

He could feel her drifting off. “No, darling, stay with me, please.”

 

“I love you,” Georgiana whispered before she finally fainted.

 


	24. Feels Like Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgiana is home. Loki is glad.

_Thor, Torden, Odin and all the guards and soldiers they had brought with them had reached the First and Last only a few hours after Loki had left it, by which time Georgiana was already safe in his arms again. Odin had been the one to spot the runes carved into the side of the wooden wall._

_“Look,” he had said, pointing. “What do you think it means?”_

_“Loki said he’d leave a sign,” Thor replied, urging Torden forwards. “It’s from a book we found once. He’s telling us to go this way.”_

_“Are you sure?” one of the guards asked._

_Thor nodded and then pointed to the bloodied rune. “That symbol stands for “Promise.” I think it means...”_

_“The promise he made a long time ago,” Odin finished, nodding solemnly. “We go that way.”_

_Halfway along the road, they were met by some women, young and old, all dressed in their unmentionables and looking like the worst thing in the world had just happened to them. Odin managed to get some sense out of a girl with dark hair when he enquired about the Duke and at the mention of Georgiana’s name, she nodded and pointed him in the right direction. It wasn’t long before they were met by Loki on Sleipnir, carrying the unconscious Georgiana in his arms._

_“What happened?” Thor exclaimed._

_Loki shook his head. “I think she’s alright, but she’s burning up with fever.” His expression darkened. “And she’s been hurt.”_

_“Where’s the Duke?” Odin asked, coming up._

_“I left him back there,” Loki replied, indicating the direction of the house. His anger was still evident. If anything he had done to Georgiana had damaged her emotionally as well as physically..._

_Odin nodded. “She needs the Healing Room. We’ll take care of him.”_

_So it was that Loki made his way back to Asgard alone. All the way his heart was racing like the fastest animals in the Nine Realms combined, with worry. He prayed that this was just some kind of ordinary fever and not something worse, something that might take months of medicine to cure, or even worse than that, something that couldn’t be cured. He hoped that it would turn out to be either of the former options._

_“Hold on, darling,” he murmured, finally reaching the courtyard as he felt her stir slightly in his arms and murmur something. He quickly dismounted, which wasn’t easy with Georgiana in his arms, but he managed to do it without falling or dropping her, and she murmured something else, her head buried against his shoulder. “Sorry?”_

_“Can’t...stay...” Georgiana muttered, deliriously. “Won’t...have me...”_

_With a frown, Loki hurried into the palace and burst through the Healing Room doors, where he was met by a flock of healers as he laid her down on one of the tables. Embla, the chief healer, pushed her way through them all, and Loki turned to her. “I think she’s got a fever; please tell me it isn’t something worse.”_

_Embla felt her forehead and examined her. “No, it’s fever, and from what I can see, she’s also got some bruised bones and a broken shoulder.” She frowned. “And something’s infected.”_

_Loki felt his heart lurch. “She has marks on her back, scars.”_

_Together they managed to manoeuvre Georgiana into a half-sitting position, and Embla examined the wounds. “Yes, they’ve not been treated. At least two of them are infected. But they can be treated,” she added, seeing Loki’s worried expression. “She’s going to be alright.”_

_Loki breathed out and Georgiana stirred against him again, murmuring again. “No...”_

_“Georgiana, it’s alright, dove,” Loki murmured, holding her, hoping that even in her feverish state she could hear him._

_She shook her head slightly. “Just...want Loki...”_

_Embla offered him a small smile. “Perhaps you’d best stay with her, Your Highness. Ordinarily I would advise it because of the risk of her infecting you, but in this case-”_

_“Wild horses won’t tear me away,” Loki replied, his eyes on Georgiana the entire time._

She opened her eyes to whiteness.

 

Loki had been beside her the whole time, holding her hand and stroking her hair back from her face as Embla and the healers set about curing her of the fever, which she had probably caught from one of the other prisoners, Embla stated, and the infections, which she stated had been brought on by lack of proper care. Eventually, however, the fever broke through and the wounds healed and Georgiana’s feverish murmurings subsided as she slept. Loki had finally left her side, only for a second, when one of the guards had appeared in the doorway requesting a word.

 

“I’ll be right back, darling,” Loki had murmured, kissing her forehead, before going to the guard, who had merely had to convey a message from Odin that the Duke was now residing in a prison cell, along with Gray, and that the other women he had been abusing had been delivered back to the safety of their own homes.

 

It was at this point that Georgiana woke, and was startled when all she saw was white, the white ceiling and walls of the Healing Room and nothing else.

 

“Am I dead?”

 

Her voice broke as she said it and Loki whipped around at once. The guard too was startled, but it was Loki who hurried over to her. “No, darling,” he said, softly, stroking her face as her eyes found him. “You’re not. You’re just in the Healing Room.”

 

“Loki!” Georgiana sat up, flung her arms around his neck and began to sob into his shoulder. “Oh, Loki!”

 

Loki hugged her tightly, burying his face in her hair. “Norns, Georgiana, I thought I’d never see you again.”

 

She shook her head, her fingers twining into his clothing to remind herself that he was really here this time. “I knew you’d come for me. I’m so sorry.”

 

Loki frowned. “Georgiana, you have nothing to be sorry about. None of this is your fault.”

 

“No, I know,” Georgiana whispered. “I mean I’m just sorry you had to go through all this.”

 

Loki kissed the top of her head, fiercely. “It’s alright. It’s all over now.”

 

It suddenly occurred to Georgiana that her arm was no longer hurting. Was that why she was in the Healing Room? Or was there something else? Suddenly she was also very aware that she no longer felt hot or dizzy. Finally relinquishing her hold on him somewhat, she looked up at him. “What happened to me?”

 

“You had a fever,” Loki replied. “They think you caught it from one of the other girls. Plus you had a broken shoulder, and a couple of those scars on your back had got infected somehow.”

 

She shuddered. “Probably from that room we were kept in, it was filthy.”

 

Loki looked at her carefully, hardly daring to ask the question he was dreading. “Georgiana, I need to know.” She turned her eyes to him and he took a deep breath. “Did he...did he _force_ you?”

 

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, frantically. “No! No, that’s _why_ I had a broken shoulder!” Loki frowned and she elaborated. “I refused to submit to him and he threw me against the wall! He didn’t take me, Loki, I swear it! I fought back!”

 

Loki breathed out and pulled her close again. “Thank Valhalla.”

 

 _“You’re_ the only person I ever want to be intimate with, Loki,” Georgiana said into his shoulder as he stroked her hair. “That’s why I fought back so much that he had me whipped.”

 

Loki stiffened. “He _what?”_

 

“Loki, please!” Georgiana looked up at him. “Please, I don’t want you to lose your temper with him and kill him!”

 

Loki sighed. “I ought to just for that!”

 

“No!” Georgiana gripped the front of his tunic. “If you do that, then it’s like he’s won! You’d be letting him get away with what he’s done! And he doesn’t deserve that! Promise me!”

 

Loki could see that she was truly frightened that he might do something like that and he offered her what he hoped was a comforting smile. “I won’t, Georgiana. I promise. I mean, I did lose control a bit when I rescued you from him but the last time I checked he was still alive, just in a great deal of pain.”

 

“Then that’s what he deserves,” Georgiana insisted, casting her eyes downwards. “I don’t want my husband to be a murderer.”

 

Loki placed his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her eyes to his again. At once a feeling of protection, of rightness, flowed through her. **_You_** _are allowed to touch me like this,_ she thought, **_he_** _isn’t. You are the only one who is allowed to._ She wanted to smile but she was still shaken by everything that had happened, so she tried to convey her emotions through her eyes instead. “Trust me,” Loki said, softly. “He’s going to get everything he deserves. Father will see to that.”

 

Before Georgiana could reply, Embla had come up to them and she offered them both a kindly smile. “How are you feeling now, Your Highness?”

 

“A little tired,” Georgiana confessed, running a hand through her hair and grimacing. It needed washing, all of her needed washing. Suddenly she was embarrassed to be so dishevelled in front of Loki, even though she knew that he was simply glad to have her back. “Am I alright to go to my room? Or am I still infectious?”

 

Loki squeezed her hand. “No, Your Highness,” Embla replied. “That is, no, your fever has passed and of course you may recover in your room if that is where you feel most comfortable doing so. But you must let me know if you start to feel ill again at all.”

 

Georgiana nodded. “Thank you.”

 

“Thank you,” Loki echoed, automatically picking Georgiana up in his arms. She didn’t argue because she was simply too tired to walk herself, and she needed to be near to Loki again now. The realisation of coming home, of being back with the man she loved, washed over her at last and she tried hard not to cry with happiness. It was all alright now. She was home again, back where she belonged, with Loki.

 

They saw no one on the walk back to their room and Georgiana was glad of it. It was bad enough having to face Loki in her current state; she certainly didn’t want to have to face anyone else just yet. She buried her face in Loki’s shoulder again, inhaling his warm scent and clinging to him, reminded of the time they had gone to the Lakes and she had been so overcome with exhaustion that he had carried her all the way home. How long ago that now seemed.

 

As they reached their room, Loki collared a passing maid and instructed her to lay out one of Georgiana’s nightgowns. At this, Georgiana glanced up as they entered the room and as the maid made to take one of the white ones, she said “No. The green one, please.” She felt the need to wear Loki’s colours tonight. The maid simply nodded and did as she was told, removing the faded green garment from amidst the white ones and laying it neatly on the bed along with her dressing robe. Loki merely looked slightly amused and dismissed the maid before carrying Georgiana into the bathroom. Neither of them spoke as he filled the bath and helped her to undress. Georgiana couldn’t help turning to the mirror and examining the state of her back where she had been whipped. It was hard to find a patch of pale skin beneath the scores of angry red lashes, criss-crossing and interlinking in gaudy patches of blood and bruising and she shivered.

 

Loki noticed her distress and pulled her close. “It looks awful, doesn’t it?” Georgiana whispered, her tears beginning again.

 

“They _will_ fade,” Loki reassured her. “And even if they don’t, you won’t be any less beautiful.”

 

Georgiana nodded to show that she believed him and then allowed him to bathe her. Loki frowned at the amount of bruises that littered her skin, the ones that had yet to fade, but made no comment, simply washing each one with tender precision and care. Georgiana closed her eyes as he washed her hair for her, realising just how much she had missed all these gentle little moments of their relationship, all the small things like this, and how she had wondered briefly if they would ever get to be like this again. By the time he had helped her out of the bath and wrapped her in a soft towel, her hair and skin had retained their usual colours and she looked a little brighter and healthier than before as she padded into the bedroom and allowed him to help her into her nightgown.

 

“How long have you had this one?” Loki asked, surprised that he had never seen her in it before.

 

She blushed. “It’s actually one of my old ones. I had it dyed. Didn’t quite turn out the way I hoped.”

 

Loki smiled at her. “You look beautiful.”

 

Again, she couldn’t manage to smile but she wanted to as she pulled on her dressing robe. She squeezed his hand to express her gratitude and clambered into bed, unable to bite back a sigh of pleasure. A soft mattress and a warm pillow and silk sheets never felt so good before. Loki turned and made to go to the door, which alarmed her and she reached out and grabbed his hand, causing him to turn to her in surprise. “Please don’t leave me!”

 

Loki saw the fear on her face and squeezed her fingers, offering her a reassuring smile. “I’m not,” he replied, truthfully, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Georgiana felt her eyes flutter shut at his touch and she nodded. Loki went to the door and quickly collared a passing servant.

 

“Would you please tell the Allfather that my wife and I are not to be disturbed for the remained of the evening?” he said, and the servant nodded, faithfully, and went on his way. Loki closed the door and Georgiana watched him prepare for bed, even as she lay down and made herself comfortable, appreciating this time every little detail about him and feeling glad not for the first time that she had married him. When he finally climbed in beside her, she snuggled right up to him and closed her eyes. Before she could ask, Loki slipped his arms around her and held her. Neither of them spoke as he magicked out the candles and shut the curtains. There was no need for words as they lay in the dark together. They had been parted. It had been terrifying. They were together again. That was all that mattered right now.

 

In her mind, though, Georgiana couldn’t quite shake the Duke away from her. The memory of him wanting to take advantage of her, even though he had not got any further than simply touching her in non-intimate places, still clung to her, along with the repulsive knowledge that he would have quite happily killed her and raped her corpse, and all the torment of being tortured, starved and abused by him and Gray (not Sheridan, he had been fairly decent to her) crept into her dreams.

 

She could feel something tangling up her legs, like the make-shift rope she had used on Gray, and she could see him in her mind, laughing over her, and someone, the Duke, had a tight grip on her and she began to cry out, wriggling to try and get away. “No! No!”

 

“Georgiana.”

 

A voice she knew and she tried to reach it. “Loki!”

 

“Georgiana, wake up. I’m here. Open your eyes, love.” She did so and in the darkness she could make out someone beside her, but she just knew it was Loki. A second later, the candles were lit and she realised that he was the one holding her.

 

“Loki,” she stammered, confused. “My legs. What-?”

 

Loki glanced down and then smiled. “You’ve got tangled in the sheets, darling.”

 

Georgiana felt relief and then embarrassment and then mounting terror fill her as she scrabbled off the bed, stumbling to the floor as the sheets unwrapped about her legs and moved as far away from the thing as possible. Alarmed, Loki followed her. “Georgiana?” She looked up at him, nervously, sitting in the corner of the room, her arms wrapped around her knees and shaking violently. “Hey,” Loki said, softly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. “Darling, it was just a nightmare.”

 

Georgiana glanced over to the window, realising suddenly just how empty the room felt. “Where’s Winter?” She stammered. “And Wolf?”

 

“With Isolde,” Loki replied. “She’s been looking after them.”

 

Georgiana nodded. Her face was ashen as she trembled and Loki quickly sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair. He had never seen her so terrified before. “Loki...he’s inside my head...” Georgiana stammered, tears falling again. “How can I sleep, knowing he’s there?”

 

“Georgiana, he can’t hurt you,” Loki soothed. “He’s locked up; he can’t come near you.”

 

“But you can’t stop him,” Georgiana whispered, shaking her head against his chest. “Not when he’s in my head. I can see him doing all sorts of things...and I know,” she added, feeling him take a deep breath, “I know it’s not real, but...it scares me, Loki. I’m scared to go back to sleep.”

 

Loki thought hard, trying to find something he could do to help. He found nothing. “Georgiana...I’m sorry but I don’t know what to do. If I knew how to help you, I’d do it, in a heartbeat, you know I would.” She nodded firmly. “I hate seeing you like this,” Loki added, massaging her scalp gently with the hand that he was running through her hair, his other rubbing the small of her back gently. “I wish I knew what to do to make it better.”

 

Georgiana thought for a moment and then looked up at him. “Make love to me, Loki.”

 

Loki looked at her in surprise. “I don’t know that that’s such a good-”

 

“Please,” she interrupted, her hand finding his and squeezing it as she tried to convey what she was feeling in words. “I always sleep well after we make love. And...it would be _you_ touching me, not anyone else. You’re the only person allowed to touch me like that. Please. I really think it would help.”

 

Loki nodded and squeezed her hand back. “Alright, dove,” he said, gently. “If you think it would help.”

 

He helped her to her feet and she allowed him to tug her back into bed. Lying down beside him, Georgiana felt suddenly like she had that first time they had made love together, on their wedding night, only without the nerves; ready, brave, and so in love that it was almost scary. She leaned forwards and as Loki kissed her, she made a small moan of pleasure and clung to him. Passion filling them both, they forgot everything but each other as they hurriedly helped one another to shed their nightclothes and then Loki pulled Georgiana on top of him.

 

“Why don’t you take charge for once?” he murmured, kissing her neck.

 

Georgiana’s answer was simply to kiss him and then do as he suggested, after which they fell asleep curled up together with reaffirmations of their love, and Georgiana’s dreams were not filled with visions of the Duke and Gray abusing her, but rather of beaches and libraries and Loki.

 


	25. "Yours."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people are just born to be together...forever...

It was the sunlight that woke her, and the warmth of it as it bathed her cheek in its delicate golden glow and turned her hair a brighter, richer shade that it naturally was. Blinking, Georgiana eventually managed to focus on the crack of light filtering in through a gap in the curtains. Slowly, she began to focus on everything else. She was home, she could tell; the mattress beneath her was soft, and her head was resting on something warm and comfortable. She inhaled and smiled. Loki. She was in his arms again, close to his heart, where she belonged. So this was all real then, it wasn’t just happening in her mind, part of the Happy Game. No, he was really here with her, and she was home.

 

 _Yours,_ she thought, reflecting on what she had told the Duke, about how she belonged to no one but Loki. _I am yours, Loki, and you are mine. No one else shall ever own my heart, because it belongs to you._

 

“Good morning,” Loki murmured, suddenly, and she realised he was awake as she glanced up at him.

 

“Good morning,” she replied, and then glancing at the window, “or it might be afternoon. I can’t tell.” Loki just smiled and wrapped his arms around her a little tighter. “How long have you been awake?” Georgiana asked, moving her gaze back to him.

 

Loki shrugged. “A few hours, maybe.”

 

“You’ve been watching me sleep?” Georgiana asked in surprise.

 

He smiled. “Well, you are very adorable when you’re asleep.”

 

Georgiana smiled for the first time since coming home. “Thank you. In a way that actually makes me feel protected.”

 

Loki pressed a kiss to her forehead. “How did you sleep?”

 

“Like a log,” Georgiana confessed.

 

“No nightmares?” Loki asked, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

 

“No, I had a dream about you and me together on a beach somewhere,” Georgiana replied, thoughtfully, as she tried to remember the details.

 

Loki laughed, lightly. “Georgiana, that wasn’t a dream; that actually happened.”

 

“No, it was a dream,” Georgiana insisted, “because we went into these caves and they were all lined with bookshelves and so many books, and Winter and Wolf were there too, chasing fish in the shallows.”

 

“Mm, sounds like you dreamed up a perfect paradise,” Loki replied, planting a few gentle kisses to her shoulder.

 

Georgiana shook her head. “No,” she corrected him, lacing her fingers through his. _“This,_ being here with you, right now, _this_ is my paradise. _This_ is perfect.”

 

Before Loki could reply, a knock at the door made them both start. “Hold on,” Loki muttered, sliding out from underneath her. Georgiana smiled as she fished for her discarded nightgown and pulled it on, sorting her hair as Loki pulled his own sleep clothes back on and made his way to the door. Georgiana knelt up on the bed as he admitted the servant pulling what appeared to be some kind of luncheon cart on wheels behind him.

 

“Her Majesty thought you should have some food brought, your Highness,” he said, bobbing her a little bow of respect.

 

“What time is it?” Loki asked in surprise.

 

“A little after two, Sire,” the man replied, bowing again.

 

“Well, thank you,” Georgiana said, politely, and the servant took it as a dismissal. Loki closed the door behind him and made his way back to the bed. It was only as Georgiana lifted the silver cover off one of the dishes and saw that it covered a bowl of steaming hot soup along with two freshly buttered rolls that she realised how hungry she was. “This looks delicious,” she murmured.

 

Loki glanced at her. “You don’t have to wait for me, you know.”

 

Georgiana smiled, gratefully, and then began to tuck into her food. She couldn’t help closing her eyes and savouring each mouthful, hot and well-cooked and delicious, realising just how much she had missed good food. Clearly Frigga had thought that she had been starved practically to death during her time in the Duke’s house, for along with the soup she had also sent some cold meats (only the finest cuts, of course), salad, various fruit and warm apple pie along with the bottle of wine and jug of water. By the time she had consumed everything she had been given, Georgiana felt well fed.

 

She giggled as she lay back in bed beside Loki. “I’ll be as big as Volstagg if I carry on eating like this!”

 

Loki glanced at her, glad just to see a smile back on her face. “You wouldn’t be any less beautiful if you were,” he answered softly, taking her hand.

 

Georgiana swivelled her eyes to him and smiled. Suddenly she was happy, for no particular reason other than the fact that she was with Loki. He brought her hand up and pressed a kiss to the back of it. She closed her eyes. “I missed so many things,” she murmured. “Being with you, like this, being intimate, or just being close, talking, or reading, or playing with the dogs. So many things. I even missed that bench where we had our first kiss.”

 

“Nothing’s ever going to part us like that ever again, Georgiana,” Loki murmured, kissing her forehead. “You have my word.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “You know what I missed most of all?”

 

“What did you miss most of all?” Loki asked.

 

“You’re going to laugh,” Georgiana told him, “or possibly say I told you so.”

 

Loki looked confused. “Why? What is it?”

 

“I missed you worrying about me all the time,” Georgiana breathed. “And fussing over me.”

 

Loki couldn’t help laughing, softly, but for once Georgiana found that she didn’t mind. “You know,” he said, pulling her closer to him, “someone once told me that when you truly love someone, you never stop worrying about them.”

 

Georgiana blinked at him. “You mean I have to put up with it for the rest of my life?”

 

“I’m afraid so.” Loki offered her a small shrug and an innocent smile.

 

Georgiana returned it with one of her own. “I think I can put up with that,” she replied, mischievously, and Loki closed the distance between their lips with a kiss that caused her to moan with pleasure and cling tightly to him. “You know,” she murmured against his lips, “much as I love this, perhaps I ought to let the others know that I’m alright now.”

 

Loki nodded, thoughtfully. “I imagine Isolde’s going spare; she’s been so worried. Although,” he added, glancing meaningfully at her, “I think she’s been worried for Thor too.”

 

Georgiana smiled and sat up. “Then let us go and find out if your theory is correct, my Prince.”

 

Loki returned her smile and allowed her to pull him to his feet. They both dressed hurriedly and once again Loki found himself surprised by her latest outfit. It was a simple Asgardian-style dress, sleeveless, with thin straps, emerald green with thin flecks of golden thread stitched into the bodice and skirt, and a sheer, translucent black cape attached to the back of the bodice, which flowed out behind her. With her hair down and neat and soft black slippers on her feet, the emerald he had given her still around her neck, suddenly she looked more than just a Princess of Asgard, so much more.

 

She caught him staring at her and smiled. “What do you think?” she asked, quickly turning for him.

 

“I think,” Loki replied, taking her hand and drawing her towards him, “that you look like a Goddess.”

 

Georgiana smiled as he kissed her and then led her from the room. Wearing Loki’s colours gave her some degree of confidence, she realised, a feeling that she could face anything and everything that came her way.

 

As they entered the courtroom, she found herself immediately the victim of a very fierce hug from Isolde, who, upon seeing her, let out a relieved cry of “Georgiana!” and ran to embrace her. “You’re alright, thank heavens!”

 

“Thank Loki,” Georgiana corrected her, returning her hug. “It’s so good to be back.”

 

Thor was the next to come up and hug her, and she smiled, likening the feel of him to a great protective bear. Then, one by one, Frigga, Sif and the Warriors Three came up, each of them hugging her tightly and murmuring “Thank goodness” or “We’ve been so worried.” Georgiana realised that she had never appreciated before just how loved she was in Asgard, and when she was finally free from their arms, she smiled “I’ve missed you all so much.”

 

“Seems your greatest fear came true, my friend,” Hogun murmured to Loki.

 

Loki nodded. “I pray it never does so again.”

 

Odin was the last to come up. “When we heard what had happened, we all feared the worst,” he confessed, pulling her into a one-armed hug whilst his other hand grasped Gungnir,tightly, Loki noted. He knew that to mean that his Father was agitated by something.

 

“I’m alright, really,” Georgiana confessed, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “Just a bit...battle-scarred,” she added, slipping her hand into Loki’s.

 

Odin nodded. “We’re still trying to work out what to do with the Duke.”

 

Thor glanced at him. “I thought he was locked up.”

 

“Oh, he is,” Odin explained, patiently. “But there are some councillors from Althrop here discussing whether or not incarceration is good enough for him. The words “public execution” have cropped up once or twice...”

 

Georgiana’s head jerked up at that. “No!”

 

The others looked at her in surprise. “Georgiana, he-” began Fandral, gently.

 

“I know,” Georgiana interrupted. “I know he’s an evil man and that some might think that he deserves death. But he’ll win that way. Let him live with what he’s done and the knowing that what he’s done is the reason he’ll spend the rest of his days locked up. Let that be his punishment.” She looked at Frigga. “Was he healed when he came here?”

 

She shook her head. “No, although he did look to have more than a few broken bones.”

 

“Then we should let them heal on their own,” Georgiana said, bravely. “Let him live the rest of his days in pain and suffering, just like the pain and suffering he’s forced on others.”

 

Loki looked at her in admiration as he squeezed her hand. Odin thought about her words for a second and then nodded. “You’re right, of course, Georgiana,” he said, wisely. “I imagine that in the end that will be his downfall.” He straightened himself, adopting his Allfather stature once more. “I will speak to the councillors,” he informed them, and then left the room.

 

Georgiana leaned against Loki, resting her head on his shoulder. Loki leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Do you think he’ll be able to convince them?” Isolde asked. “I mean, it won’t turn into a demand for the Duke’s blood or anything, will it?”

 

Frigga smiled at her. “My husband can be very persuasive, Isolde, don’t worry.”

 

“They have to listen to him,” Sif added, firmly, although her hand found the handle of her sword, just in case for any reason a fight broke out. “He’s the Allfather.”

 

A few moments later, Odin came back, his expression neutral, but as he reached their group, he nodded. “We are all in agreement. The Duke will spend the rest of his days in the palace dungeon, and we will not be sending any healers in to see him,” he added, nodding to Georgiana. “The same goes for his man Gray.”

 

Georgiana felt relieved as she slipped her arm through Loki’s. “There you go,” Volstagg smiled at her. “You don’t get higher security than Asgard cells.”

 

She nodded and glanced at Odin. “Thank you.”

 

He smiled, kindly, at her. If he was perfectly honest, he had come to think of Georgiana as the daughter he and Frigga had never had, especially following the death of her own Father. “I think everyone can sleep safely in their beds tonight, knowing that he’ll never be able to harm anyone like that ever again, Georgiana.”

 

The group broke up after that; Odin and Frigga going about their duties and Sif and the Warriors Three off to the training ground, whilst the two young Princes and their wives wandered quietly into the grounds together. It was a while before any of them spoke, by which time they had reached the edge of the pond Thor had jumped into during that game of Confession or Challenge and Georgiana had had time to think properly about something she had been wondering about since leaving their bedroom.

 

“How can any man be so twisted like that?” Isolde asked, finally breaking their silence as they all sat down. “I mean, just snatching young women from their home towns like that and keeping them locked up for his pleasure!” She shuddered. “It’s sickening!”

 

Thor nodded. “People like that must have something wrong with them. That’s the only explanation.”

 

“Father did once say that the Duke would do anything to get his own way,” Loki added, remembering that conversation they had had when he was seven. “Though, I have to admit, even _I_ didn’t envision him doing something like _this.”_

 

Georgiana glanced at him. “He kept saying I ought to have been his by rights.”

 

Loki felt his stomach clench at that. He squeezed her hand. “That’s only because his Father expected yours to betroth you to his family, not ours, Georgiana.”

 

She nodded. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad I’m yours.”

 

Thor grinned at her. “I think everyone in Asgard’s glad of that, Georgiana.”

 

Loki smiled. Georgiana leaned against him, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I want to see him.” The others glanced at her as she opened her eyes and elaborated. “To face him; prove to him that I’m not afraid. He can’t hurt me in a cell.”

 

“You really want to?” Isolde asked. “After everything he’s done to you?”

 

“I just don’t feel like I can relax properly until I do,” Georgiana replied, looking up at Loki, willing him to understand her need to confront her tormentor. To her relief, he nodded and she smiled.

 

“Do you want me to come with you?” Loki asked.

 

She shook her head. “No. This is something I need to do by myself. But...if you could wait for me outside...”

 

Loki nodded again and got to his feet. “Now?”

 

“Now,” Georgiana agreed and he helped her up.

 

“Good luck,” Thor replied. “And if he makes you uncomfortable at all, just yell for the guards.”

 

Georgiana nodded and shot them both a confident smile before taking Loki’s arm and allowing him to walk her in the direction of the dungeons. It was the one part of the palace she had only ever visited once, during her first tour just after their marriage. The visit had been brief but she could remember every detail of the place as if she had only visited it yesterday. Loki calmly explained to the guards on duty what the nature of their visit was, and they nodded and opened the doors.

 

“Are you absolutely certain that you want to do this?” Loki checked with her.

 

Georgiana nodded again. “I have to, Loki. I think it’s the only way I’ll ever be truly free of him.”

 

Loki offered her a smile of understanding and squeezed her hands. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”

 

Georgiana smiled and then, dropping her hands from his, made her way inside the vast room that was filled with prison cells. The guards all nodded or bowed their heads in respect to her, a few offering her friendly, hopeful smiles as she passed, and she nodded back to them. No, she could do this. She was Loki’s wife, his Princess, and wearing his colours. There was no way that a mere Duke could intimidate her in her own home.

 

She found his cell easily, following the mutters of stifled pain. Stepped up, she looked on him the way a spectator looks on a creature in a circus. The Duke looked to be in a bad way. His clothing and hair were completely dishevelled, whilst his face was battered, supporting several cuts and bruises, painful looking and swollen, and from the way he was sitting, it was clear that he had broken bones all over that had not yet started to heal. When he finally noticed he was being observed, he slowly looked up at her and said nothing. Georgiana frowned at the look on his face; was he actually scared of her? Or was he simply worried that at any second Loki would turn up behind her?

 

“What do you want?” the Duke asked, finally, after they were done staring one another out. “Come to gloat over my pathetic fate?”

 

“I don’t delight in other people’s pain,” Georgiana answered, calmly. “I’m not like you.” He scowled at her but said nothing. “What?” Georgiana went on. “Upset that your plan to make me yours failed? Well, as I told you before, my heart belongs to no one but Loki and as such I will never give myself to any other man but him. And now I think he has proved that he will indeed go to any lengths to save me if ever I’m in danger. So I’m sorry that you failed to possess me like you hoped to, but a you can see, you never will, because I was his from the day I was born.”

 

The Duke snorted. “You truly believe that?”

 

“You truly believe that I was meant to be yours?” Georgiana shook her head. “No. My Father made his decision because he knew that Loki would love me, and that I would be cared for in Asgard. And that’s the reason your plan has failed, because I am loved, not just by Loki, but by Odin and Frigga and Thor and Isolde and my friends. They are my family.”

 

The Duke said nothing. He didn’t scowl or sneer or scoff at her, he simply stared at her, and she knew that she had won. He was rendered speechless because she was right. Lifting her skirt with one hand, in the practised manner of a well-bred lady, Georgiana smiled. “And now, if you’ll excuse me, I must leave you to your sad fate, because the man I love is waiting for me and I hate to be away from him a second longer. This is the last time we shall ever meet, and I am not a bit sorry for that, nor am I sorry for your pain. Because after all you have done, it is exactly what you deserve.”

 

With that, she turned away from him, unable to hide her smile. It felt like she had just closed the door on that chapter of her life, a chapter she would never look to again. It would be a black space in her life, like those parts of her life that had been forgotten over time, those earlier memories that she searched for but couldn’t find, only this would be one that she had deliberately chosen to forget. From now on, she would only remember the happy memories, many of which involved Loki, and look towards a wonderful future with him.

 

“Everything alright, your Highness?” one of the guards asked, politely.

 

“Perfectly, thank you,” Georgiana replied, feeling that it suddenly was, for the first time in a long time.

 

She found Loki sitting on the stone bench a little way from the doors, his head turned in the opposite direction, clearly deep in thought. Her heart swelled suddenly with love for him as she stepped quietly up to him, leaned down and kissed his cheek. Surprised, Loki looked up at her and then got to his feet.

 

“Are you alright?” he asked.

 

Georgiana beamed at him. “Yes, Loki, I think I’m actually a little more than just alright,” she replied, sliding her arms around his neck and then leaning up to kiss him. Loki pulled her close, sliding his arms around her waist, making her feel secure and loved. She finally pulled away from him with a smile and he was reminded of their wedding day, when she had had that angelic glow about her. It occurred to him suddenly that that glow had been absent for the last few days, but now it was back, and it was as if _she_ was back now, _his_ Georgiana, back to herself, back home and back where she was born to be, in Asgard and in his arms.

 

“I love you, Loki,” Georgiana breathed.

 

Loki smiled at her. “I love _you,_ Georgiana.”

 

“Good, because I am yours and no one else’s,” Georgiana replied, firmly. “And nothing is ever going to change that. Nothing and no one.”

 

Loki smiled. “I know. And I was yours the first time I ever held you.”

 

She grinned up at him, mischievously. “I was yours from that day too.”

 

Loki kissed her again, feeling that it was probably just as well that they were already married, otherwise he would go down on his knees and propose to her right now. They belonged to each other, just as they had always done. His Mother had been right, he reflected, when she had told him “ _You and Georgiana were born to be together, Loki.”_ For they had been; whether it had been decided by the Fates or the Norns or whoever, it was clear to the whole of Asgard that he and Georgiana were meant to be together.

_Forever._

 


	26. Love Lives On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just fluff!

_Isolde ran to the window with a racing heart. Things were so muddled out there; half-clothed, frightened girls wrapped in blankets and being escorted by kindly soldiers and guards as they tried to maintain some kind of order or system. The thought of Georgiana being part of something like this made her sick to her stomach. Where was Thor among them all?_

_She knew that Georgiana was now back safe and sound because she had heard it whispered through the servants. She had wanted to see her friend but when she had reached the Healing Room, one of the healers had informed her that the Princess needed her rest. Loki had been there too, and he had sprung up and gone to her, telling her calmly that Georgiana was alright and when she had asked, that Thor was probably not that far off from Asgard at that moment. She had thanked him and gone to watch out for her husband, praying that he was alright. That had been some hours ago._

_Suddenly she spotted him dismounting from Torden, his hair tousled by the riding and his eyes tired. He suddenly looked older than he was, almost as old as Odin, and she wanted more than anything to go to him. So, she turned away from the window and hurried as fast as she could in the dress she was wearing towards the door leading to the courtyard._

_“Poor girls,” she heard Odin say as she hurried down the steps. “We can only imagine what horrors they’ve been put through.”_

_“Well, perhaps Georgiana can tell us,” Thor replied, grimly, shuddering at the idea of his sister having been used or abused in such a manner. In a way, this had been a wakeup call for him, seeing how panicked Loki had been at having almost certainly lost Georgiana for good, for it had made him realise just how much his own wife meant to him and now he knew that he would certainly be just as panicked, if not more, if anything were to happen to her._

_“Thor!” Isolde called in relief as she hurried towards him._

_He turned at her cry and caught her up in his arms, hugging her tightly. “Isolde,” he murmured, grateful just to be back with her._

_“You’re alright,” Isolde sighed, clinging tightly to him for a moment. “Everyone’s been so worried.”_

_Then, for no reason other than the fact that she was simply happy to see him, she kissed him, and Thor returned it, fiercely. They both clung to one another with no regard at all for the fact that they were surrounded by people, until Odin cleared his throat and they both broke apart, flushed but not a bit sorry._

_“Have you see Georgiana? How is she?” Odin asked._

_“She’s in the Healing Room, and they won’t let me in,” Isolde explained. “But Loki says she’s going to be alright.”_

_“She’s in the best possible place,” Odin agreed, before turning to the battalion of guards who were leading the bedraggled Duke between their small knot. His face was battered, the skin raw and split in places whilst bruised with others, and he hobbled, hunched and stooped, behind them, as best as he could manage in the leg shackles he wore. His wrists were shackled too and chains ran from his belt and a stiff iron collar about his neck, the other ends of which were held tightly by the square of guards around him. He also wore what looked like some kind of muzzle, over the top of which his eyes were blank, showing no emotions whatsoever._

_“Is that him?” Isolde whispered, pressing closer to Thor. “The man who did all this? The Duke?”_

_“That’s him,” Thor confirmed._

_“The smaller man is his man, Gray,” Odin added, nodding at Gray who was following the Duke’s guard with soldiers of his own, similarly shackled, chained and muzzled._

_“He doesn’t even look a bit sorry for what he’s done,” Isolde whispered, her tone bitter._

_Thor glanced at Odin. “What’s to be done with them? Will they be locked up?”_

_“For now,” Odin answered, “although bear in mind that the councillors from Althrop will probably have something to say about it.”_

_“They can’t object, surely?” Thor exclaimed. “The man’s a kidnapper and rapist; he’s not fit to be released!”_

_“It’s not that that worries me, Thor,” Odin replied, finally dismounting. “Everything he has done counts as a serious crime in anyone’s standards, but the people of Althrop take crime very seriously. To them, locking him up might not be good enough. If I don’t call a meeting soon, they’ll be out for his blood. I guarantee they’ll want him dead one way or another.”_

_It was Thor’s turn to shudder and his grip on Isolde tightened as the three of them stared at the Duke and Gray, watching the guards lead them down to the dungeons. “There’s not going to be a trial, is there?” Isolde asked. “I mean, there can’t be. There’s no way that the Duke can claim we’re lying when the evidence is all there.”_

_“It won’t come to that, Isolde,” Odin replied, kindly. “Like you say, the evidence is there. There are at least two dozen women, Georgiana included, who can testify against him; plus the state of the living conditions to back up their claims, and then, of course, there’s Loki. I don’t know what he saw the Duke doing, but it was clearly something that needed to be stopped quite dramatically.”_

_Thor nodded. “Loki would never beat someone like that unless in self-defence, or if they were hurting someone he cared a lot about.”_

_“Like Georgiana,” Isolde murmured and he nodded in agreement._

_Odin nodded too. “He has no hope of being released whatsoever. It’s quite plain that he is neither mad nor a simpleton. He was perfectly in his right frame of mind when carried out these abductions and molestations. He cannot claim that there is anything right or good in what he has done.”_

_With that he moved away from them, after briefly summoning two stable lads to take their horses back to the stables and give them a rub down. Thor and Isolde watched him make his way, regally, up the steps and through the palace doors. Isolde sighed with relief and leaned against Thor. “It’s all over. Thank the Norns.”_

_Thor nodded. “I’ve never seen Loki so terrified in all his life.” Then, he glanced at her and added, softly, “Are you alright?”_

_She smiled, tiredly. “I’m alright. Just exhausted with worry.” Then she reached up to tangle her fingers in his long hair. Thor was taller than she was, but she quite liked that, if she was perfectly honest. “But you brought her back. And you’re all safe.”_

_Thor grinned at her and then kissed her. Isolde gave a small moan of longing and pressed closer to him, craving it, craving him, the warm feel of him. How she could have ever imagined that she wouldn’t fall in love with him she had no idea. It was a complete mystery now. How could she not have realised before that he was everything she had been searching for, the part of her life that had always been missing and the part that she never wanted to lose?_

_“Thor, I-” She hesitated, eyes down, uncertain that he felt the same way, but she just decided to go for it. “I love you. I mean, I really do_ love _you, like I’ve never loved anyone else before.”_

_Thor felt his heart squeeze at that and it was a few seconds before he could speak. “I’m glad,” he said, causing her to look up at him again. “Because I love you too, Isolde.”_

_The smile spreading over her face at his words was only stopped from spreading any wider by his lips on hers. Neither of them were aware of moving at all; the next thing they knew they were just suddenly in their room, together and away from the prying eyes of others. Their kisses became firm and more passionate and suddenly the desire to see one another without clothing on became too much as they both began to fumble with fastenings and bite back the urge to just rip the material preserving their dignity. To be perfectly honest, Thor wouldn’t have cared if Isolde_ had _ripped his clothes, after all clothes could be easily repaired, but he took great care not to rip her dress as he finally unfastened the last lacing holding it tightly to her, with some difficulty, since women valued what they wore a little more than men did. Eventually, however, tunic, trousers, dress, corset, every stitch of undergarments between them, fell to the floor, fluttering like ghosts and they stood twined in one another’s arms, bared to the other for the first time._

_“Thor...” Isolde sighed as he kissed her, making a trail down her neck to her shoulder. “Make love to me...”_

_Realising that he had been more than ready for it for some time now, Thor complied._

_It was gentle._

_It was patient._

_But it was also filled with a passionate love that only a husband and a wife can feel for one another and no one else._

Georgiana hesitated and then laid down her quill with a sigh. Snuggled on her lap, Winter looked up, cocking her head on one side with one ear flopped over, and she smiled, fondly ruffling her fur. She had been so pleased to have their dogs back with them again. Isolde and Frigga had been looking after them during her recovery and she had fallen on them like a mother to her children after having been away from them for so long. She wondered if that was one of the reasons married couples had pets; as a practise for having children. After all, their puppies needed attention and space and food and warmth and shelter and love, and she had worried about them whilst away from them. Having children must surely be like that.

 

She picked up the sheet of paper she had been working on and silently read what she had written.

 

_You are the only person who makes me feel alive when I’m with you._

_You’re the person who makes me smile even when I’m upset._

_You’re the person I always wake up thinking about and who I always fall asleep dreaming about too._

_You’re the one who makes me feel protected and safe._

_You’re the one who reminds me that I’m loved, simply because you love me._

_You’re the one I miss when we’re apart and the one I always imagine beside me when I’m lost or scared._

_You’re the one who understands me more than anyone else in my life._

_You have my entire heart and all my love; and you always will._

She couldn’t help letting out another sigh as she folded the paper in half and pushed it to once side. It looked and read like a poem, which wasn’t what she had been going for. It was supposed to be a declaration of her feelings for Loki, a list of her reasons for loving him as much as she did, and she had assumed that it would be easier to write them then it would be to just say them on the spot. But somehow it hadn’t quite turned out the way she had planned.

 

Sleep had eluded her and she had woken in the early hours of the morning thinking about how much she loved Loki. She badly wanted to tell him her reason for loving him, but the truth was, she wasn’t entirely sure what that reason was. Everything she had written was true, but she felt like there was something else she needed to say, and she had no idea what it was.

 

Winter stretched on her lap with a lazy yawn and then sprang down to join her brother. Wolf was playing with a lose thread of the curtain ties and was currently attempting to unravel the whole thing. Georgiana laughed, softly, and pattered over to him.

 

“Hey, you!” she scolded, softly, scooping him up and removing the thread from between his teeth. Wolf looked disappointed that she had removed his source of amusement, and turned his face up to her, licking her cheek and prompting another smile from her. She suddenly realised just how like Loki he could be at times. Wouldn’t that be so like him; to kiss her in an attempt to flatter her into letting him have his fun?

 

With a fond look, she kissed the top of Wolf’s head and set him back on the floor with Winter before snapping the loose thread he had been playing with from the curtain tie to stop him from playing with it any further. As she did so, something suddenly touched her cheek and she jumped slightly, realising even as she turned her head that Loki had just kissed her.

 

“Sorry,” he apologised. “Thought you’d heard me.”

 

“Loki,” Georgiana smiled, turning to slide into his arms and snuggle against him.

 

“Can’t sleep?” Loki guessed, softly, playing with a strand of her hair.

 

“No,” Georgiana answered. “I think I’m a bit restless.”

 

“Well, since we’re both up now, perhaps I can help remedy that,” Loki murmured, with a hint of mischief in his voice.

 

“Oh, I’ll bet you can,” Georgiana teased, looking up at him. Her eyes were bright and alert, and they told Loki that she was up for it as much as he was. With a smile, Loki leaned down to kiss her, smiling against her lips as she returned it with a similar enthusiasm. He had been extra worried about her recently, given how shaken she had been after returning from her ordeal and whenever she woke up early or twitched in her sleep, he worried that she might be having nightmares again, although, touch wood, she claimed that she hadn’t had one since that first one.

 

As he broke away from her, the folded piece of paper on the desk caught his eye. “Been writing letters?” he asked.

 

Georgiana looked over at it and sighed. “No, it...” With another sigh, she pulled away from him and went to pick it up. “It’s for you.”

 

Loki was surprised by the note of regret in her voice and he searched her face carefully as he took the paper from her. “It’s nothing bad, is it?”

 

“No!” Georgiana shook her head, vigorously. “No, it’s just...it’s something I want to say...but it’s like I can’t put it into words properly. It’s been going over in my mind all morning.”

 

Perplexed, Loki unfolded the paper and read what she had written. Before he could say anything, though, Georgiana folded her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “I think,” she whispered, “the main reason is just that...that you’re part of me. Like giving you my heart makes you part of me and me part of you, and that’s...that’s why I’ve always loved you, even if I didn’t know it.” She sighed and buried her head in his shoulder. “Does that make sense?”

 

Loki smiled and kissed the top of her head, letting the paper flutter to the floor. “Trust me, Georgiana, it makes perfect sense.” She glanced at him and he elaborated, gently brushing her hair out of her eyes. “Because that’s exactly how I feel about _you._ That’s how I’ve _always_ felt about you. _”_

 

Georgiana smiled and ducked her head in embarrassment. “I don’t know why I felt the need to write it down. I just...felt like it had to be said. But it was actually harder trying to express everything I feel on paper.”

 

“Mm,” Loki agreed. “It did read like a rather bad poem, I’m afraid.”

 

Georgiana looked up at him and saw that he was teasing her. “Loki!” she exclaimed, pretending to be offended as she swatted at him.

 

Loki laughed and pulled her close, kissing her gently. “I apologize, my love. Can I possibly make it up to you?”

 

Georgiana smiled and pulled him towards the bed. “You can start by reminding me just how much you love me, my Prince, and then,” she added, mischievously, “I’ll think about forgiving you.”

 


	27. So Desparately, Uncontrollably Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love, confessions and a surprise or two in this final chapter.

Asgard seemed to have finally settled down. There was a peaceful calm in the air, a blue sky with only a few fluffy white clouds, the kind of atmosphere typical of an early summer day.

 

Georgiana couldn’t help smiling as she leaned her arms on the balcony railing and looked down across the stretch of the kingdom. There was a general warmth all around Asgard today, she felt, a hopefulness, like when she had married Loki, the feeling that there would never be any darkness in the world ever again, only light.

 

The sunlight reflected on her hair lit it up a shade, like an angelic aura, tied back as it was in a simple style and brought a pleasant feeling of heat to her skin. She was dressed in the emerald hooded evening dress that she had worn for the Niðavellirparty visit (so much had happened since that day, she reflected) with the matching slippers and the emerald pendant sparkling around her neck. She’d picked this outfit not because it was cool for such weather, but because she just wanted to wear it. Being in Loki’s colours was almost like being hugged by him when he wasn’t there, she decided, that was why she liked wearing them so much, as well as the fact that they marked her out as his. She had woken this morning feeling slightly ill, but it had passed, and now all she felt was...

 

Was what?

 

She thought about it a second. Happy. That was what she felt. Just happy. And there was no reason that she shouldn’t be. The Duke would never harm anyone again for as long as he lived, locked away as he was in Asgard’s highest security cell and guarded day and night, and she had come out of her ordeal with him only a little scarred in mind. She hadn’t had any more nightmares or visions of him coming to get her, and she knew now that even if she did have another, it would never come true. And there was nothing he could do to her in her mind anyway, not with Loki holding her close the whole night long.

 

The marks on her back had almost healed up completely now. There were a few that Embla had examined and stated would probably scar, but the rest she was confident would soon disappear completely. Georgiana felt that a few scars from her ordeal were nothing compared to what horrors some of the other girls must have been through, the ones the Duke had managed to have his way with. She hadn’t heard anything of Bess, but she lived in hope that she had managed to find some safe place to forget about the whole affair. At any rate, whenever she felt low about the marks, Loki would hold her close and whisper to her that she was still beautiful and that her scars were like his own battle wounds, proof that she was a survivor, and that he would always lover her no matter what.

 

Things seemed brighter in Asgard anyway now, she reflected. Everyone seemed happier than usual somehow, particularly in the case of Thor and Isolde. She had a feeling about them, that something had changed, but she didn’t want to say anything until Isolde confirmed it first. But something was definitely different between them now. She had often noticed that they would now walk into a room together arm in arm, often in mid-conversation or immediately following some private joke that had them both laughing, and it reminded her of the way she and Loki were together.

 

Her smile widening at the thought, Georgiana propped one elbow on the railing and leaned her cheek against her hand. She had remembered a few days ago about that book she had bought Loki right before her kidnapping and had been distressed at the prospect that he might not get it.

 

_“What’s wrong?” Loki asked as she sat up suddenly in his arms. It was a pleasantly warm evening and they were cuddled up together on the bed, not in the bed yet, it was too warm for that, just talking and enjoying being so close to one another again, when the thought had suddenly occurred to her and she frowned, and then sighed._

_“I’m such a fool, I completely forgot,” Georgiana sighed, running one hand through her hair. She had been so excited upon finding the thing, and now it looked like Loki wouldn’t get it after all._

_“Why?” Loki asked, sitting up beside her, surprise by her sudden change of demeanor._

_She sighed again and then looked at him, regretfully. “That day I was taken, in the bookshop, I got you something. But I dropped it when they subdued me. I’d forgotten until now.”_

_To her surprise, however, Loki smiled and took her hand. “So had I,” he replied, and then with a small gesture of magic, he produced the still wrapped book. Georgiana gasped in delight. “Askr very kindly gave it to me,” Loki explained. “After I’d forced him to tell me what had happened to you, of course.”_

_Georgiana smiled and then pushed it towards him. “Open it. I think you’ll like it.”_

_Loki returned her smile and then did as she asked. Georgiana saw his face visibly light up as he studied the book. “A first edition,” he breathed, softly, opening the book and flicking through a few of the pages._

_“I knew you’d like it,” Georgiana replied._

_Loki looked up at her, closed the book and squeezed her hand. “Darling, I absolutely love it. Although I love having you back here with me even more.”_

Georgiana was roused from her reminiscing by the feeling that someone was standing right behind her. Before she could say anything, she felt Loki touch her arm and she turned her head with a smile.

 

“Are you alright?” Loki knew that he had been asking that question a great deal more than usual lately, but he also knew that she didn’t really mind him worrying so much about her now. After all, with everything she had been through, it was only to be expected.

 

“Yes,” Georgiana replied, with a soft smile. “I’m happy.”

 

Then she turned around completely, slid into his arms and met his lips with her own. Loki smiled as he kissed her. He could feel her happiness, it was radiating from her entire body like the warmth from a fireplace and she was practically glowing, even more so that he teased her she always did. It made him happy too.

 

A sudden loud whistle from below caused them to part. Still wrapped in each others’ arms, they peered over the balcony into the courtyard below. Thor stood grinning up at them, dressed for riding, along with Isolde, who was already astride Torden. A stable boy stood beside him, holding Sleipnir’s reins, warily.

 

“Are you two lovebirds coming or not?” Thor called up, folding his arms.

 

“Remind me to dump a bucket of water over him later,” Loki muttered to Georgiana.

 

She grinned. “Make sure it’s icy cold.”

 

Loki gave her an impressed smile. “Oh, I love you.”

 

“I know,” Georgiana replied, mischievously as she pulled him from the room.

 

Isolde smiled as they approached. “Thought for a minute you two weren’t going to bother.”

 

“What; pass up a beautiful day like this by spending all our time indoors?” Georgiana replied, airily as Loki helped her into the saddle. “In the winter, maybe, but not in this weather.” As she pulled herself up, she suddenly felt a small wave of dizziness wash over her and she shook her head to clear it. Strange.

 

Thor frowned. “Are you alright?”

 

Loki’s head shot up at once at that and he looked at her in concern. Georgiana, however, insisted “Yes, I’m fine. Just a bit dizzy. Perhaps I got up too quickly.”

 

“Are you sure?” Loki asked, worried now.

 

“Yes, Loki, I’m fine,” Georgiana smiled. It was probably just a little light-headedness, she decided, nothing more. At any rate, she felt fine now.

 

Loki pulled himself up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Tell me if you start to feel unwell.”

 

“When do I not?” Georgiana asked, with a smile.

 

Thor grinned at them both and then pulled himself astride Torden, kicking his heels into the animal’s sides. Loki did the same and they were off, heading for the Lakes again. Georgiana smiled to herself. That magical beach area that Loki had taken her to was their private place, they had been back there together several times since that first time, and she knew that they would never share it with anyone else, well, perhaps their children if that ever happened, but no one else; but the Lakes was becoming a special place for the four of them to spend time together. Now knowing that Thor and Isolde were better about their marriage and about being together made it feel all the more special for everyone.

 

She held on tightly as Sleipnir picked up speed, feeling the summer breeze ruffle her hair and clothing. It was such a wonderful feeling, almost like flying, and even more wonderful was the feel of Loki holding her close, determined not to give her the opportunity to fall off. It was a feeling like freedom.

 

The Lakes finally came into view and both Princes slowed their horses. “Oh,” Isolde said, with mock disappointment, “no race this time, boys?”

 

“No need, we both know who’d win,” Thor grinned, glancing at Loki.

 

Loki gave him a mock nod of acknowledgement. “That’s very kind of you to say so, Thor, but you’d have a sporting chance too.”

 

Georgiana giggled as Thor pretended to look offended. “If you can call winning a chance,” he began.

 

“You only won that time because I was worried about Georgiana falling off,” Loki interrupted, grinning.

 

“Of course,” Thor teased right back. “I believe you.”

 

“Don’t you just love it when our boys act tough?” Isolde mock-whispered to Georgiana.

 

Georgiana laughed. “Yes, unfortunately, _we_ know the truth.”

 

Loki smiled and looked over at Thor. “Can’t hide anything from your wife, Brother.”

 

“Well, now’s a fine time to tell me,” Thor replied and everyone laughed.

 

The day was a pleasant one, the water surprisingly warm as the young Princesses found out when they took to splashing about in the shallows in the hope of cooling off under the summer sun. But it was not an unpleasant warmth and soon they were wading through quite companionably together.

 

Thor and Loki sat on a wide rock and watched them for a while. Loki sensed that his brother wanted to talk and so he sat quietly and patiently until Thor finally felt brave enough to open up to him.

 

It didn’t take long.

 

“I’ve no idea what I was ever complaining about,” Thor said, abruptly. At any other time, Loki might have been confused, but he knew instantly to which incident his brother was referring. “It seems I really _was_ just worrying over nothing, like you said.”

 

“I’m sorry, is this you admitting that I was right after all?” Loki asked, grinning.

 

“Don’t get too used to it,” Thor smiled.

 

“No, no, of course not. I’ll just relish the moment whilst it lasts,” Loki replied and they both laughed.

 

“Anyway, you worried over nothing before meeting _your_ wife,” Thor pointed out.

 

“I never denied that I did,” Loki replied, before slipping back into serious mode. “So, am I right in thinking then that you and Isolde..?”

 

“Yes, Loki,” Thor interrupted, knowingly. “We’re in love.”

 

Loki grinned and then glanced back over to where Georgiana and Isolde were splashing around in the water. “In that case, then, I have a confession to make.”

 

“What?” Thor asked, looking at him.

 

Loki actually looked slightly embarrassed, which surprised Thor, since it was rare thing to see his brother look like that, and he ran a hand through his hair before admitting “I, um, I may have bribed Fandral into...insulting Isolde so that you’d hit him.”

 

Thor blinked at him. “You what?”

 

“I bribed Fandral into-”

 

 _“You’re_ the reason I gave Fandral a black eye?” Thor said, incredulously.

 

Loki shrugged. “Well...”

 

“You know there are better ways of dealing with people who annoy you,” Thor grinned.

 

Loki was both surprised and relieved to see that his brother wasn’t cross with him. “No, I knew how you’d react, and I knew that Isolde would be impressed that you’d defended her like that.”

 

Thor cuffed him around the back of the head. “I can’t believe you, Loki!”

 

“Well, it worked, didn’t it?” Loki grinned, rubbing his head.

 

“First mischief, then matchmaking; you really are full of surprises,” Thor said, shaking his head. “Poor Fandral.”

 

“In my defense,” Loki replied, “I was hoping it would be either Sif, Hogun or Volstagg who ended up being punched. Hogun and Volstagg would have been harder to hurt and I know you’d never hit Sif.”

 

“You bribed them too?” Thor asked.

 

Loki flushed. “It wasn’t easy, although Volstagg swayed the second we gave him braised pheasant.”

 

“Typical,” Thor chuckled, and then “Wait, what do you mean, we?”

 

Loki’s flush deepened. “Did I say that?”

 

Thor looked over at Georgiana who was giggling with Isolde, and then back to Loki. “She’s as mischievous as you are.”

 

“Of course,” Loki replied, casually. “Why else do you think I love her?”

 

The two Princes looked at one another and laughed. “I am going to get you back for that one day,” Thor laughed.

 

“You and Fandral already did, with the snowball in bed,” Loki insisted. “Trust me, we’re even.”

 

Thor grinned and then glanced at him. “Thanks, though, Loki. I think that’s probably what started it all.”

 

“You’re very welcome,” Loki replied. “I’m happy for you.”

 

In the water, Georgiana and Isolde splashed about, wondering how long it would be before their husbands joined them. Georgiana was actually feeling a little tired, but she was determined not to be so obvious about it this time, so she maintained a tireless facade as she and Isolde laughed together about their school days.

 

“Do you remember those awful bathing suits they made us wear whenever we went down to the beach?” Isolde asked.

 

“Those terrible old blue things?” Georgiana shuddered with a grin. “How could I forget? Sometimes I still have nightmares about finding one in my wardrobe!”

 

They both laughed again and then Isolde glanced over at their men. “Oh, I think they’re joining us,” she smiled, seeing Thor get to his feet and bend over to yank his boots off. Her expression softened as she watched him and Georgiana noticed.

 

“Is it my imagination,” she asked, knowingly, “or is that the look of a young woman in love?”

 

Isolde smiled and faced her. “Am I that obvious? Frigga could see it too.”

 

Georgiana laughed and threw her arms around her friend. “I’m so happy for you.”

 

Isolde grinned. “Oh, and you were right about that underwear, by the way.” Georgiana’s eyes widened, comically, and Isolde laughed. “Oh, Georgiana, don’t look so shocked! You knew it had to happen sooner or later!”

 

Georgiana pulled herself together. “Of course, I just thought you’d find a subtler way of breaking it to me than that!”

 

“Ah!” Isolde called as Thor waded up to them. “Reinforcements, I presume?” And with that she kicked water at Georgiana, who let out a mock gasp of horror and retaliated at once. Loki quickly joined them and soon the four of them were very wet and very warm and laughing fit to burst.

 

“No, stop, if I laugh anymore I think I might break something!” Georgiana protested, leaning against Loki. A sudden wave of nausea washed over her and she took a quick deep breath to get rid of it.

 

“Georgiana?” Loki watched her, carefully, holding her up in case she suddenly got dizzy again. “What is it?”

 

Georgiana frowned. “Nothing. I just suddenly felt a bit sick, that’s all. But it’s passing now.”

 

Isolde frowned too. “Perhaps it was something you ate. Or didn’t eat. I noticed you left some chicken earlier at dinner.”

 

“It tasted funny,” Georgiana replied and then with a shake of her head, she suddenly felt alright again. “Oh. It’s gone now. I’m fine.”

 

“Perhaps you should sit down for a minute,” Loki murmured, not having let go of her yet.

 

“Perhaps we all should,” Thor added, tactfully, plucking at his wet tunic. “Dry off before we go home.”

 

Isolde agreed that that was probably a good idea and so they all emerged from the water and sat down on the bank, watching a few birds dip in and out of the lake a little way off. Even the animals knew that it was a wonderful day for being out, Georgiana realised, and she leaned happily against Loki’s shoulder to watch two butterflies flutter in and out of the grass together. It seemed like love was in the air too, all around them. She closed her eyes for a second and thought back to that day when she and Loki had fallen in love. There were all different kinds of love in the Nine Realms, she thought; there was the kind of love you felt for a friend or a family member, someone dear to your heart, like the kind she felt for her family and friends; there was the kind of love you felt for a place, that made you feel proud to be a part of it, like the kind she felt for her home; and then there was romantic love, and that could develop in all kinds of ways, slowly, over time, as with Thor and Isolde, or all at once in the blink of an eye, a single look, a knowing that you had found the person of your dreams even though reason may be telling you otherwise, like the kind she had had with Loki. That felt like the best kind there was.

 

“Georgiana?”

 

“Hm?” Georgiana raised her head in answer to Loki and she smiled up at him. “Sorry?”

 

“You were asleep,” Isolde told her.

 

“Oh, was I?” Georgiana sat up straighter and stretched herself. “Sorry, it’s just so peaceful here, and I was lying against something very comfortable.”

 

Loki smiled. “I’m flattered you choose to use me as a pillow.”

 

“Would you rather I used someone else?” Georgiana teased.

 

“Absolutely not,” Loki smiled, kissing her forehead.

 

Eventually the sun began to set and the four young lovers dragged themselves back to where their horses were tethered and rode back to Asgard. Georgiana, however, was worried, although she hid it well. Nausea and dizziness kept hitting but she managed to maintain a brave face and was prepared to insist that nothing was wrong if anyone noticed her discomfort. No one seemed to however, and they arrived back at Asgard without incident, all feeling rather tired but happy.

 

“Just to warn you, I may fall asleep in the corridor,” Isolde murmured sleepily to Thor.

 

Thor glanced at Loki and Georgiana. “Strange, I suddenly have a feeling of déjà vu.”

 

“Very funny,” Georgiana laughed, her voice laced with tiredness.

 

Thor grinned at her and then, to everyone’s surprise, picked Isolde up and carried her, bridal-style, up the stairs. Isolde giggled “Thor,” softly and then leaned up to kiss him. Loki and Georgiana watched them leave, and then, wordlessly, Georgiana turned to him and held up her arms. With a grin, Loki picked her up.

 

“Anywhere in particular you would like to be dropped off, my Princess?” he teased.

 

“In my bed,” Georgiana replied, “with my husband, if you please.”

 

Loki smiled and carried her to their room. Once inside, however, he set her down on the bed and fixed her with a serious look. “Georgiana, I think you should go to the Healing Room in the morning.”

 

“What?” Georgiana sighed. “But I’m fine.”

 

To her surprise, however, Loki shook his head. “No. People don’t just start feeling sick, or dizzy, for no reason, Georgiana. And you do seem worn out.”

 

Georgiana exhaled and shook her head. “I can’t hide anything from you, can I?” she asked, flopping back onto the bed.

 

Loki lay down beside her. “Do you feel sick now?”

 

“No.”

 

“Dizzy.”

 

“No, Loki. I feel fine now. Just tired.”

 

Loki smiled. “Sleep then, dove,” he murmured, kissing her gently.

 

“As my Prince commands,” Georgiana murmured, with a small smile of her own, closing her eyes. She could hear Winter and Wolf snoring gently from their beds, already taken by sleep, and she pressed closer to Loki, snuggling against him. Loki lay awake for a while, watching her carefully, in case she suddenly woke up feeling ill. Eventually, however, tiredness overtook him too and he fell into a peaceful sleep beside her.

 

Georgiana found herself roused in the early hours of the mourning by a sudden feeling like this time she truly was going to be sick. As quietly as she could manage, she slid from the bed without waking Loki and hurried to the bathroom. She could feel her heart racing afterwards but she forced herself not to panic. This wasn’t like being locked in a cage at the Duke’s manor; here she had access to healers, here she could be looked after if she was ill. And now it was beginning to look like she probably was.

 

She paced the room for a while, eventually deciding that she didn’t want to worry Loki, and so she quietly made her way back into the bedroom and dressed before slipping from the room and hurrying in the direction of the Healing Room, praying that someone there was up and about already.

 

Loki was startled when he woke up to find her side of the bed empty. Mentally he told himself to calm down, after all, what harm could come to her here. He pulled himself out of bed, dressed and then went to look for her, meeting Thor and Isolde, who were laughing together again, halfway down the corridor.

 

“Have either of you seen Georgiana?” Loki asked.

 

Isolde frowned. “No. Not yet. I thought she’d be with you.”

 

“Have you checked the library?” Thor added.

 

“Not yet,” Loki admitted, looking up as Frigga and Odin came around the corner.

 

“Everything alright?” Odin asked, surprised to see almost his entire family, bar one, standing around in the middle of the corridor.

 

“Have you seen Georgiana?” Loki asked, hoping one of them would answer yes. He wasn’t worried as such, more curious as to where she had got to.

 

“I think she went to the Healing Room earlier this morning,” Frigga replied.

 

“The Healing Room?” Isolde repeated. “Is she alright?”

 

“Well, she was feeling a little unwell yesterday,” Thor remembered.

 

“I did advise her to see one of the Healers,” Loki added, somewhat relieved that she had taken his advice after all.

 

“Loki!”

 

Everyone spun around at her shout as Georgiana practically flew towards them and flung herself into Loki’s arms. Loki looked at her in surprise. “Georgiana, are you-?”

 

He was cut off as she kissed him and then beamed at him. “Loki...” She didn’t know how to say it, so she simply took his hands and pressed them to her stomach. Loki stared at her in a mixture of amazement and pride.

 

“Are you sure?” he managed to say.

 

Georgiana nodded, smiling radiantly at him. “Yes! Embla confirmed it! We’re going to be parents!”

 

Loki pulled her close and kissed her, words failing him. “Congratulations!” Isolde squealed, flinging her arms around the pair of them.

 

“Wow,” was all Thor could manage to say, looking a little dazed, as if he had been told the same thing by his wife. Perhaps one day he would be.

 

“This is wonderful,” Frigga declared, also hugging them both.

 

“Am I to understand,” Odin smiled, “that one of my sons now has an heir to the throne?”

 

“Is that really all you care about?” Frigga pretended to scold him.

 

“Heirs,” Georgiana corrected him, and everyone turned to look at her. She smiled at Loki. “We’re having twins.”

 

“Twins?” Loki repeated, and when she nodded, all he could do was smile back at her.

 

“Hel,” Thor teased. “One child of Loki’s would be bad enough; but two!”

 

“Thor!” Isolde scolded, swatting at him.

 

“This is a great day for Asgard,” Odin decided. “We must let everyone know.”

 

And he turned on his heel and left. Frigga sighed and hurried after him. Loki had a feeling that if she had her way, which she probably would, only those within the palace walls would know of Georgiana’s condition, as well as Margaret, of course. Feeling that their friends needed a moment, Thor and Isolde subtly slipped away, leaving Loki and Georgiana alone together in the corridor.

 

“Georgiana, you are amazing,” Loki told her. “Truly amazing.”

 

Georgiana smiled, feeling herself blush. How could Loki still do that to her, make her blush like a schoolgirl? He would probably still be able to do that to her even when they were old. “You did some of the work too,” she reminded him, wrapping her arms around him. When she had married Loki, she had thought that that might be the happiest she ever felt in her entire life; but this bout of happiness within her was a fairly close second to it. “Are you nervous?” she added.

 

“I’m absolutely terrified,” Loki admitted, causing her to laugh. “But excited.”

 

“Me too,” Georgiana smiled, leaning up to kiss him.

 

“I love you, Georgiana,” Loki murmured.

 

“I love you, Loki,” Georgiana murmured back, and then with a sigh that cause him to look at her, she teased “But must you be right about absolutely everything?”

 

Loki laughed. “I’m afraid so, dove.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “Good,” she whispered, before kissing him again. “I don’t think I’d want you any other way.”

 

 

_"Because when you're with me, I can't help but be so desperately uncontrollably happy."_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this is finally over! I may yet do another Loki/Georgiana fanfic, or not, depends really, but I do love this pairing so much and there's so much you can do with them! Let me know what you think!
> 
> The title of this chapter and the closing quote come from the Divine Comedy song In Pursuit of Happiness, which I think personally suits this chapter anyway!
> 
> Thanks to all my loyal readers for reading, and special thanks to LoveandHeartbreak for putting me onto this shipping in the first place! Good luck with all your future videos; I will be looking out for them!

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this chapter is so long; it kind of got away from me! They won't all be this length, promise, scout's honour, swear on my bow!


End file.
